Seraphic Charm
by Female President Cocoa-sensei
Summary: She's was an elite that seems to attract a lot of strangers. First danger then Seido's assistant coach, lots and lots of players, her school's rival team's ace but what about Koshien? Fem!Sawamura.
1. The Feisty Heroine With A Pretty Face

**Seraphic Charm**

 **Summary:** _She's was an elite that seems to attract a lot of strangers. First danger then Seido's assistant coach, lots and lots of players, her school's rival team's ace but what about Koshien? Fem!Sawamura._

 **Pairing:** Undecided.

 **Warnings:** _Alternate universe, OOC, canon similarities, unbelievable pitches, Fem!Sawamura and lots of cliché scenes._

 **A/N:** Well hello there Diamond no Ace fanfiction readers or… writers or I dunno. I'm like really into the anime that's why I wrote this with tons of inspiration that mostly originated from my dreams. A warning though, English is not my native language so there might be a lot of grammar mistakes which are either due to my lack of knowledge or it was something that I have missed. Forgive me in advanced for that. I don't have a beta reader or proof read my stories so yeah… it's not perfect I guess. Or I'm just lazy.

And you may read a lot of things that are not real here like the Off Spin pitch which I clearly just made up to make Sawamura cool. Fanfiction is supposed to be made by the imagination okay! I want to make her… I want the heroine to be a heroine and not weak dammit. And I'm not good at baseball stuff, I just like the anime because it's awesome and… yeah.

Btw, this story includes romance. Well mostly romance because I can't write anything other than that so… vote for these guys down here on who you want to pair Fem!Sawamura with:

 **Miyuki Kazuya**

 **Kominato Haruichi**

 **Furuya Satoru**

 **Narumiya Mei**

 **Takigawa Chris Yuu**

 **Sanada Shunpei**

Even someone who is not on the list is allowed. Just include it in your review if you want to vote okay? So the A/N ends and I hope you all like it! Ciao~! And ohh… this story might remind you of other anime series like I dunno… Eyeshield 21? Perhaps a dash of Big Hero 6 and Naruto but ohh well, its fanfiction guys! XD Let's see if you can guess which parts I based on other anime series.

And you might be wondering why Sawamura pitches with her right hand here. She's ambidextrous in this story and her left hand is an ultimate weapon. It'll be included in the future chapters. And this is not a Fem!Sawamura X OC story okay? No need to be worried.

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Diamond No Ace or any of its characters. This story is purely fan made and no profit has been made._

 **Chapter One: The Feisty Heroine With A Pretty Face**

Sawamura Eirin's eyes gleamed full of adrenaline. She was still grinning despite the heat while her opponents were nearly crawling on the ground due to exhaustion. She wiped the sweat that trickled down her forehead and unto her chin with the sleeves of her tight compression shirt. Their opponent, Narushima Jr. High was difficult to defeat and the weather was not helping any of the two teams. The last two innings were tough despite the Ojou White Knights leading on the scoreboard with the count of 6-2. This was supposed to be the last match for the graduating students but their school had traditions to uphold. The elite school's banner, the flag with Ojou's crest shaded in pearl and cerulean was visible throughout the audience while its alma mater's students cheered for the team with repetitive chants.

Ojou Academy was a very strict co-ed school meant only for elites. In order to get admitted, you need to have an average higher than 88% or else entering is nearly impossible. It also has an airtight history in the field of athletics. In the high school division, both the basketball team and baseball team have defeated other schools and are on their way to the Winter Cup and Koshien in order to represent their region in the nationals. The school had the Koshien Champion trophy for fifteen years straight and has been yet to be defeated. Perhaps next year is also the same, the graduating batch of junior high students in the baseball club proved to be talented and worthy.

All in all, Ojou was the school everyone dreamed of entering. They taught proper adequate and manners. Bu it seems like only one out of the entire school population failed to learn and do so.

"Hey! You there! Yes you! Guy with the big head! Baldy! How dare you!"

Cue the groaning of the teachers and the coach in the dugout.

"Want a piece of me? Gladly!" before everyone knew it the female's hand was already on the other team's players' face slapping him with an enormous amount of force in light speed. The said athlete was barely on his feet with his knees underneath him wobbling and his cheek now marred with a vivid color of vermillion in the shape of a hand. The offender's team members winched imagining the intensity of the pain. The crowd gaped while everyone in Ojou's dugout was panicking.

"Ei-chan! We already won! Let him off! Don't bite him!" the team's number two, Yamato Takeshi, position catcher, held the girl by her shoulders as she struggled to tackle and bite the poor guy to death. It seems like the victim said something to offend the girl who attacked him. It was probably something sexist but no one cares except for Sawamura Eirin who is unfortunately the team's ace and the only girl in Ojou White Knights therefore is the only one affected.

"He insulted the female species! Who said women can't play baseball, that dumbass! I'll shove the stick in his butt further up his asshole—"

"Ei-chan!" the vulgarity of the maiden's words were top notch and others look like they don't even care anymore. Some doesn't want to hear what she says next so they try to stop her from saying things that makes the case worse than it is any further. They're too used to this. Their ace getting involved in a fight, causing a scene, someone gets hurt, Yamato tries to calm her down and—

"Sawamura-san!"

—the teachers enter obviously.

"Are you awake of the trouble you caused to everyone? You are a disgrace to Ojou's name! How do you think people would react if they hear that our students act this way? They'll think that the school is teaching them negative values!" Eirin found herself on the teacher's lounge in Ojou. She was on the floor that was covered with crimson carpets with her legs folded in the traditional Japanese seating position and her hands on her lap while being scolded. She was scowling, muttering that she did not do anything wrong before pouting and crossing her arms.

Kami, if only she remained silent.

Most of the students including teachers know that Eirin herself has a lot of admirers. It was just that she's oblivious to it or that she doesn't care at all. Both are possible answers considering the fact that she's the number one most unpredictable student in the whole campus. Her hair was a rich shade of mahogany wood that reminded everyone of fall. It flowed and adorned her face only to end near her elbows, emphasizing her healthy-glowing skin which was not that pale or tanned. Her eyes, framed by long lashes that naturally curl at the end would make you stutter when taken in by the depths of hazel. A straight nose and doll like lips which were shaded in soft carnation pink- she seemed the picture of perfection.

The teacher wanted to scoff when she saw Eirin scratching the back of her head.

Manners. All she lacked was manners and she would be the ideal woman for all. And by manners they have attempted to teach her those since she was in grade school in the academy. It has already been more than six years and improvements have not been made. She still acts like a five year old for kami's sake! The teacher groaned. He needed to rest, he needed a vacation. Right at this moment, ASAP.

"Sawamura, you can't just pick a fight on the other team's player. This is your second time doing this and you have more than enough violations to get kicked out of the school! Do you know what that means? You won't be able to attend Ojou again. You won't be able to play baseball! What would your grandfather say when this comes to his attention?" Eirin frowned at that and clenched her fists full of her skirt. The authority closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose in an attempt of lessening stress.

"I will give the Sawamura household a call later, the Principal would be the judge for your case. Whether you get kicked out or pulled out from the team, it depends on his decision,"

"Out of the team? Not even a warning first!? No other available choices!?" the thought of not playing baseball sent shivers down her spine and to the tips of her hair.

"We have given you dozens of warnings before and have told you that Ojou does not tolerate any improper repetitions. It would have been acceptable if you have committed something as petty as forgetting your homework but involving the public eye is a serious violation," she winced at his tone, it was cold and stoic. He was seriously scolding her this time.

"I hope that you are prepared for the worst Sawamura. I don't want you expecting something that might not live up to your expectations. You are dismissed," at this Eirin rose from her feet and bowed before heading towards the door with her face showing a bitter expression.

The door loudly slammed shut not because of the force initiated but because of the silence that fogged the room. The teachers in the area glanced worriedly to each other and some sighed exasperated.

"Isn't that a bit harsh Sano-sensei? I mean she did try hard this time and her grades are not a problem at all, we just need to fix her attitude a bit. Try to see everything in her perspective perhaps? She might be bothered by something," one of the other teachers commented.

"Yeah, it's cruel to suspend her from the team and getting kicked out is even worse. Both mean losing the school's top player in baseball. How about we go easy on her? She practices every day until late. I think she has great pride," another added.

Sano sadly smiled, "We have considered that a lot of times but let me remind you, this is Ojou. I also want her to remain. Talented or not the Principal is the only one who decides if she stays." The staff inside the space sighed. He did have a point.

* * *

Eirin silently walked towards her classroom. The hallway was regal, grand even. The school was designed like a palace and everything was facilitated with the uttermost care and fragility. She passed by students which were mostly female who walked and spoke with grace, a total contrast of her if she must say. They covered their mouths when they laughed and walked slowly while she was sprinting and clenching her teeth hard. She needed to get out of here. Fast. Perfection irked her to the very marrow of her bones. From afar, she saw her classmates waving at her with smiles of their faces. She beamed back and ran faster. They were her co-members in the baseball club and some of them were the female managers who she was close with.

"Dynamic Entry!" Eirin shouted when she reached the door.

"Safe!"

"It's a total out Ei-chan! Class already ended while you were at the teacher's lounge!"

"Ei-chan!" a female with chestnut brown hair exclaimed when all of a sudden the ace tackled her for a hug. "You got scolded again! And how many times do we have to remind you not to pick a fight? Seriously, no one even tried to stop you when you started to shout. They just watched and took action when you already slapped him. That does not make you innocent though," she carried on, patting the girl on the head.

"Wakana~!" the ace whined, prolonging her words. It was that bad huh? What did they threaten her with this time?

"So how mad was Sano-sensei? I bet he was as red as a lobster. Ei-chan, this was your second major offense!"

"Did he make you do extra flower arrangement and etiquette classes again?"

"He said that… I might get pulled out of the team or kicked out. Either ones are bad choices for me. Damn, I'm going to get a long speech fifty pages worth from my parents tonight," she joked, making her classmates laugh. From afar, someone stood from his seat walking towards the bunch, unimpressed. He obviously looked pissed off as his feet was tapping on the floor as if he demanded an explanation. Eirin gulped at her childhood friend's expression. "T-Takeshi," she muttered and was so sure that he was also going to scold her.

Their classmates flinched backing away a little bit from the menacing aura the catcher was showing. One by one they went out of the room leaving the two alone. It was the usual drill and everyone got used to it already. They have done this a couple of times before considering that the girl had so many offenses. They just didn't want to see their usually calm classmate Yamato Takeshi get mad and the ever so cheerful Sawamura Eirin to cry like the last time this occurred.

"It's not my fault! Well I didn't mean to get carried away like that. He made me mad and I just had to—"

"Had to what? Had to resort to violence, Eirin?" he was addressing her by her given name which meant that he was seriously not amused. The girl shook her head and became silent. "You know that this isn't the first time this happened. What did he do anyway?" he asked, crossing his arms above his chest.

Eirin pursed her lips and replied, "I got offended when he said that he couldn't believe that I was able to play baseball with you guys." At this Yamato frowned. He knew that she got vexed easily. He also knew that it was not only talent that made her come this far but also practice that did not take hours but days, months and years. Perhaps that was also one of the reasons why she got indignant towards the other team's player. "I told him sorry in the end and he accepted it so I don't know what's wrong with that. Sano-sensei didn't give me any good choices. It's either leave or leave," his expression softened at her words and he sighed.

He moved closer and patted her head, "Well we can't do anything about that anymore and I think getting pulled out is better. We know that it's only temporary and Narushima was our last opponent anyway so it doesn't matter. The coach would just ask you to come back and play in the first match next school year."

The girl blinked, "Ohh yeah, we're graduating next week. I totally forgot." Yamato smiled, grabbing his bag from his seat and Eirin did the same. "But what if I get kicked out? Isn't that bad?" he paused on his tracks at her sudden suggestion. Well there was also that but… that's it. They needed to stay away from negative thoughts.

"Not gonna happen," he started.

"But,"

"No,"

"But what if,"

"Ojou cannot afford to lose their ace don't you think so? Not after the upperclassmen graduates. You'll most likely be in the first string in our first year. They need you that much," he reasoned and she blinked, thinking about it before grinning. "And if they kick you out I'll just transfer to the school you'll go to, no big deal. Then we can join the baseball club together," this time it was her turn to pause on her tracks. Her eyes widened at his sudden acclaim and he turned looking at her as if asking what was wrong.

"You're the best friend in the whole country! No, in the whole world, heck, the universe is not enough!" she exclaimed tackling him with her arms around his waist. The boy rolled his eyes at her antics. "I won't beat up someone next time. I promise!" it was an honest and unbreakable one he hoped. She held out her pinky at him and he stared at her for a second before accepting it.

"Pinky swear," they intertwined their fingers together.

"Stamp," their thumbs brushed against each other.

"Scan" she dragged her hand on his.

"Copy," the back of their palms hit.

"High five," their palms hit.

"Fist bump,"

"Falalala—"

"Won't you hurry up," Yamato demanded and walked out of the door. Eirin grinned noticing that his ears were red. Oho, she had someone to tease. She hopped towards his side and was about to say something when he cut her off. "Don't…" he scolded her even before she started. She 'hmmp-ed' at him and muttered sentences that she hoped offended him.

Yamato had a point. Ojou cannot afford to lose their future ace just like that if they wanted to ensure their place in the nationals again this year. And if she did get kicked out, the catcher would be with her. That means losing two of the elites that were almost drafted into the national team if it was not for their age. Both were fairly popular in the field of baseball, Eirin with her unpredictable pitches and Yamato with his wits. Together they made the perfect battery. Any school would be lucky if they had any of the two. They were the star players and the future aces of Ojou White Knights after all.

* * *

Eirin walked inside the gates of their wide estate. Her family owned vast lands for farming and agriculture. They were basically rich enough to have one of the biggest houses in the village, not that they bragged about it. The Sawamuras did not like fame and attention when it came to their riches. They wanted to be acknowledged for what they were doing and contributing. She entered the house which was designed traditionally, an imperial villa with raised floors and tatami mats, wooden pillars and stone pathways, dozens of plants, shrubs and trees in the garden where fireflies dwell.

She slid the lattice shoji door open before taking off her shoes hastily, leaving them in disarray at the front door. Her grandfather was startled when he heard footsteps and from the washitsu. He stood up from his seat and walked towards where his granddaughter was, leaving the visitor who just recently arrived with Eirin's parents.

"Okaeri," he voiced out.

"Tadaima," she energetically replied before taking a detour. It seemed like she was heading to her room.

"Eirin wait," her grandfather's voice sounded stern but not furious like usual. Did the school already call? Did they already find out? Man, she was so dead. She turned around to face him with nervousness showing on her face. "Someone came all the way from Tokyo to see you so hurry up and get your ass in the living room," he turned his back and walked away.

Eirin blinked. From Tokyo? She spent the last twenty seconds wondering who it was as she headed towards the living room. She slid the door open and there was an unknown woman sitting in front of her parents. Eirin's eyes knitted in confusion before she settled down.

"I am Takashima Rei, the assistant coach of Seido Baseball club," she showed her business card towards the girl's family. Eirin merely raised a brow while her parents and grandfather was in awe. Tokyo folks were not exactly common in Nagano unless they were tourists. "I am here to recruit Sawamura Eirin if that is possible," she adjusted her glasses, raising them higher.

"S-Seido!?" Now if Ojou was known as they are always present in Koshien, Seido had also appeared a couple of times in the list making them one of the superior schools in the nation. Only that they were not present every year but perhaps every now and then. "Hey that's a rival school!" she exclaimed rather loudly and rose from her seat, exaggerating. A tick mark appeared on her grandfather's head and he pulled her back to her seat.

"Sorry for my granddaughter's rudeness," her grandfather bowed with his hands in front of him in courtesy while she rubbed her head where he just hit her with his fist. Rei sweat dropped at the scene while Eirin muttered negative things about her grandfather.

"Damn old man," he immediately gave her a glare. Ahh, there it was. Sawamura glare with cat eyes at its finest. She learned from the best it seems.

"Earlier I watched the match with Narushima Jr. High. It seems to me that Sawamura-san has untapped potential. That slap…" Eirin froze on her seat while her parents' attention was transferred on her. "For a pitcher even your slaps definitely have a real snap to them, don't they?" she continued and the student ignored the stares she was receiving. She knew that this was coming sooner or later. And she preferred the 'later' option.

"You have a lot of power but you lack control. It is something that cannot be fixed without a team. Ojou's players work as individuals and are dysfunctional. I assume that all it's worth for is pride and glory, am I correct?" Eirin's eyes narrowed at that.

"And I also assume that you're already collapsing from the responsibility? Everyone is expecting you to be the ace next year," she didn't really know how to respond on this one other than clench her fists. Her parents exchanged looks with each other as they worried. It was then when the telephone rang.

Eirin's mother rose from her seat and went to get the phone. Then the silence came which covered the living room like mist. Her grandfather exchanged looks with her as if asking if it was true and Eirin shook her head.

"Even if that was the case, do you really expect me to go all the way to Tokyo just to play baseball? I don't want to go to some struck up super strict school just to play!" Eirin loudly declared as if Ojou wasn't the most demanding school in the world.

"What!? Y-Yes we understand. Sorry for the trouble. Yes, yes we'll get her applied to another school soon—" Eirin blinked. No freaking way. There was no way in hell this was happening. This was too soon. Rei smiled as if she had expected this from the start while the boys in the room looked confused. Her mother's footsteps were heard when she ran and she slammed the sliding door open with her yes shooting daggers at her daughter.

"What did you do?"

Eirin wanted to go somewhere else. Perhaps to the koi pond and swim with the fishes for a while. Yep, definitely a good idea. Anywhere else but where she was right now would be definitely fine.

"You just got kicked out of Ojou Academy!"

Her grandfather's mouth and eyes widened in the most dramatic way possible.

Ohh, kami.

"Explain,"

"Well I kinda slapped someone a little too hard and sensei said that I was being such a drag because I was bringing the school's name down. I got scolded and he said that I should prepare because I might either be pulled out of the team or get kicked out of the school. Either way, I committed too many offenses I guess,"

"Like what? What did you do other than slap someone?"

"Sleeping in class and such,"

Rei's eyes gleamed at that, "Seido is not that strict school like you think it is. In fact students are allowed to sleep in class as long as they are able to maintain their grades." Her father groaned looking at Eirin with eyes that said 'accept it already'. Well it was a second chance and it just came knocking at their door so I guess might as well consider it.

"And let's talk about your scholarship shall we?"

The elder's eyes widened for the second time of the day, "Whoa, Eirin you're that important?"

Eirin glared at her grandfather before the older woman smiled, "Yes she is. In fact she's a diamond in the rough. Ojou is aiming for Koshien, correct? Seido's goal is also the same. We are asking you to join us Sawamura-san. Who knows, this might be your chance for a face-off with your friends and I doubt that any other rival school would be willing to scout you and go this far."

Kami, now she sounded so persuasive.

"So when can you take a look at our school? I'm sure you'll be busy with other things so I'll be most appreciative when you come at your earliest convenience,"

"No, she can come right away! She is already free from school so…" her grandfather glared at her and she flinched, guilty at demand. "I guess she won't be attending the graduation next week then. We'll be the ones to claim her diploma from her teacher privately. It would be embarrassing if a drop out returned right?" another glare.

Kami, why is she surrounded with people with such eyes?

"Say, Sawamura-san. If you're not trusting Seido's skills, how about you watch us practice?"

Her father elbowed her on her stomach as if pleading. That was twice today.

Eirin sighed before showing her trademark grin, "Sure, why not?"

* * *

The field was wide and everyone was busy doing their own thing on their places. There were more than a hundred members, she could tell. It was very intense, nerve wrecking and at the same time… exciting. Eirin gulped, so this was Seido. It was completely different to Teikoku in which the members were trained to face machines. Here, it was man-to-man, a good training strategy for experience. She had never seen this much adrenaline on others before. Behind her Rei had her arms crossed, proud of their school's students and facilities. Everyone was shouting, everyone was loud, everyone was being told to do something, everyone was allowed to commit mistakes and it made her flinch on her place. She couldn't help but laugh.

Goddamit, she wants to join.

"We take pride in our facilities hereAbout half of our players graduated from other prefectures," the student looked at the boys who were running laps around the fence. Her eyes narrowed. Some of them were known throughout their junior high due to baseball.

"They leave home in order to train in a young age of fifteen because they want to become professional major league players. Those athletes that carry such determination, I respect them from the bottom of my heart," Eirin's eyes widened and she glanced around while clenching her fist. It was as if she was in the middle of a battle field. It was rough, unpredictable and intense.

Rei pushed her glasses upwards, "What are you whispering about?" The managers who were crowding about a couple of meters away from them flinched from the sudden approach before bowing and scurrying away. The girl blinked before looking at the assistant-coach.

"You appear in magazines, in the television and on the internet. They can't help it,"

She blinked again. Wha—

Ohh she means those times she got interviewed for baseball? And those times she appeared on the internet because she slapped someone?

"And your looks… they are not entirely common,"

Eirin grinned. She was not really sure whether to be proud or be embarrassed so she just… grinned. Rei glanced at her and sighed, if she only she lowered the volume of her laugh and had more sense. It wasn't that she was not fashionable. In contrast she actually is. It was just that she preferred to be comfortable rather than look chic. Those lessons in Ojou did help her. She just did not want to apply it. A three-fourth sleeved white Peter pan blouse which had a black ribbon on the collar, a pair of pants and casual flat sandals were enough to make her pretty. Even simple pieces fitted her and Rei wasn't sure if it that because of her face, her height which was not common for girls to have or her body proportions.

Not long before she got pissed off though. Everyone was staring at her. "Oi! Go practice already dammit! I wanna watch what you guys do! Hurry up! Chop-chop, we're losing daylight!" she exclaimed and the guys winced from their places, immediately running towards their bases with hints of red on their faces.

What the hell?

Rei smiled with her eyeglasses beaming, "It looks like you are able to raise the determination of our players as well. What do you say about joining Sawamura-san? There are also dorms here made especially for baseball players."

Well now that was nice. Away from her grandfather and parents, jackpot.

"I'll think about it,"

The assistant coach nodded before giving her a push, making her enter the fence. She winced closing her eyes and when she opened them an intimidating figure was already looming over her. Eirin gasped rather obviously while those at the sidelines looked at them and stared.

She gulped before muttering, "B-Boss!" then her eyes sparkled. The man in front of her crossed his arms, not batting an eyelash. "Sugoi! Is he also a baseball player? Wait, are you the coach?" she asked taking notice of the baffled reactions she was receiving. Someone from afar whistled.

Daring.

"Why don't you test our new member Kataoka-san,"

Eirin turned to look at Rei as if she was crazy, "Ehh!? Test!?"

"What's your name?"

"Sawamura Eirin!"

"Come to the mound,"

"Yes Boss!"

"Do you have your uniform?"

"Yes Boss! Rei-san told me to bring it and so I did!"

"Good, get changed,"

"Yes Boss!"

She answered him like how a right hand man would to a mafia heir. She turned around to exit the fence and to change but before that she glanced at the assistant coach who sighed. "You can go change at the locker room, it's belongs to the boys' though," she showed her a baffled reaction. Well there was no helping it. There was no baseball club for females in Seido anyway and it was the same case in Ojou. Not that she flashed anyone. "There's no one in there, they're all here practicing," she tried to assure her but not that she minded. As long as she could change, that was fine.

"Miyuki!"

A first year with short brown hair and matching eyes ran towards the two and asked, "Yes, Rei-chan?" He had his catcher gear on and protective eye shield. It was easy to tell that he was a catcher judging by what he was wearing. But Rei-chan? You call your assistant coach Rei-chan? Seriously? Perhaps he was also scouted by her.

"Can you go with her the locker room and make sure no one walks in?"

Miyuki grinned and replied, "Sure why not! Sawamura-chan, follow me this way!" He walked leading her outside of the fence. Eirin couldn't help but blink at him wanting to ask how he knows her name. "You're pretty famous here because everyone is expecting you to be the ace for Ojou White Knights this year with Taketomo graduating. Now what's an elite doing in a rival school's grounds?" he asked jokingly with a laugh at the end of his sentence. Taketomo was a third-year pitcher in Ojou Academy and is the ace of the baseball team. Soon he would be graduating and has ensured his place on Team Japan as a relief-pitcher. Because of that, everyone is expecting Eirin to be the ace when she enters High school.

She narrowed her eyes at him and looked a bit pissed off saying, "Hey, there are a lot of pitchers in Ojou okay? There are a lot of guys there better than me. Those magazines are just exaggerating like hell. I'm not going to be the ace." Miyuki's eyes slightly widened at her choice of words. Not really what he expected from a female who's a student of the renowned Ojou Academy that specializes in intelligence and arts.

"And I'm here because Rei-san asked me to,"

"She scouted you?"

Eirin nodded, "Yes she did. She was persuasive as hell that my parents and I accepted her offer. Not that we had any other choice. It was a chance so why deny?"

"And will you accept? Will you be going to Seido?" Now this made him a bit excited. If she was in Seido then they might have a better chance on reaching Koshien. With an elite like her on the team their offence and points would surely rise. They needed pitchers other than Tanba and Kawakami anyway.

The girl shrugged, "I don't know. If I go here then Takeshi might not go with me because it's a rival school and-"

"Whoa, wait. What did you say?"

"I said that I'm sure if I'll be going to Seido,"

"No! The one after that!"

"That Takeshi might not go with me because Seido is a rival school?"

Miyuki's eyes widened and he grinned, "Takeshi? Yamato Yakeshi?"

Eirin nodded and raised a brow at him. When they arrived at the locker room for her to change she locked the door and Miyuki stood outside waiting for her. He chuckled. Yamato's name was also famed. He was an elite catcher, a prodigy who just tried and excelled at it.

"Yo! Miyuki what are you doing standing there like that?"

"Kuramochi! Matsuko-san! You won't believe who's here!"

* * *

Later after she changed she started to become nervous.

Eirin walked towards the coach with a mitt and a ball at hand, her lips pursed together. She was on the mound with the older man across her holding a mitt. No one was batting. It was simply a test to see how well her form was and how she throws. The coach was already on his position. He was crouching while she was glancing at her surroundings. Everyone paused on their tracks and their attention was focused on the two. That did not help at all. In fact that only made her more nervous. She stood out with her white and aqua-blue uniform with the number one on the back and Ojou on the front. Eirin grimaced at all the attention they were giving her.

"Hey look at her she's from Ojou. Isn't that an elite school?"

"She's Sawamura Eirin you dumbass! She's going to be the ace of White Knights!"

"Seriously? She's a female!"

The student twitched. Her grip on the ball tightened and a tick mark appeared on her head.

"Boss! When do I start pitching? Give the call!" Kataoka stared at her while she fumed. Rei who was observing placed a palm on her head, smiling.

"Throw," after a minute, he finally showed her his mitt.

Eirin grinned. There it was.

That excitement.

Taking a deep breath she held the hardball in a two-seam. She took a step forward and raised her left leg while her right hand was hidden behind her body. Then she came in forward leaning, flexibility in her stance showed. Her hand rose, ready to throw the ball when-

"Hold on!"

Eirin paused. Everyone turned around to see Miyuki with a bunch of guys behind him. They were the Seido regulars. And judging by how they looked, they just finished running.

"Kami, Miyuki you weren't lying like usual!"

"Ow! Kuramochi stop hitting me!" Kataoka just stared at the bunch and stood up as if asking for an explanation.

"I want to catch her pitch. If that is fine with you coach," the teacher looked at him for a second before stepping out of the mound and unto the dugout with his arms crossed. Miyuki grinned patting his mitt and going on position. The regulars watched on the sidelines with their attention fully focused on the two.

"Really? I was about to throw you bastard!" she growled at him and everyone that around them winced. Now they didn't really expect that.

"Ohh, really? Show me that you're a feisty heroine who's more than just a pretty face then," his mitt came to her view.

Eirin gritted her teeth at that.

"No bad feelings if you get hit okay!?" Miyuki frowned. She was not actually going to him right? Not when he does not have his protective gear on. He just took them off moments ago to run and call the others. The catcher gulped then stared at her dead on. His mitt was calling for her pitch.

The girl was slightly astonished. Yamato never looked at her like that when he asked for her to throw.

She raised her left leg for the wind-up and shifted her weight to her feet when it came to the ground.

The freaking bastard. She was going to throw a fast-ball but who cares.

She stepped with her foot to her left-

"That's too wide! She'll get injured—"

 _Bam._

The ball was in Miyuki's mitt, looking as if it has been there the whole time.

Eirin grinned.

"Was that?" Rei asked, baffled and amazed by the scene.

"A cross fire pitch,"

* * *

Eirin sat on the train looking out of the window heading Nagano. The sky was shaded in crimson and the color of daffodils. It would be very dark soon and she hoped that she was in their home's garden with the fireflies because it was so boring to just sit around. It took about two and a half hours to reach her hometown from Tokyo by train. She'll probably arrive around seven. She took out her phone and sent a mail to her parents, informing them what time she'll be arriving so that they'll be able to include her in dinner and not like the last time she went home late due to baseball practice. Her eyes narrowed when she saw her inbox and call logs.

 **[12:27 A.M, February 25, 2016] [YAMATO TAKESHI]**  
-Ei-chan are you absent? You didn't show up earlier and now its lunch time. Don't skip classes okay!

 **[6:15 P.M, February 25, 2016] [YAMATO TAKESHI]**  
-You were marked absent by the teacher. Now that you mention it, Sano-sensei didn't call out your name during homeroom. Ahh, don't tell me you got kicked out!

 **[8:43 A.M, February 26, 2016] [YAMATO TAKESHI]**  
-Hey, you're scaring me. At least reply!

 **[12:40 A.M, February 26, 2016] [WAKANA AOTSUKI]**  
-Ei-chan are you sick? I'm taking notes for you so go back to school soon!

 **[5:30 P.M, February 26, 2016] [WAKANA AOTSUKI]**  
-Mi-chan and I are expecting to see back tomorrow! It's going to be basketball for P.E. by the way. And we have a test so you better not miss out!

 **[8:43 A.M, February 26, 2016] [WAKANA AOTSUKI]**  
-I failed the test earlier and now its recess. When are you coming back Ei-chan? Is your cold that bad? Stay dehydrated, okay?

 **[5:40 P.M, February 26, 2016] [YAMATO TAKESHI]**  
-You were absent again. You don't even reply back. Hey is something wrong or are you sick?

 **[8:32 A.M, February 27, 2016] [YAMATO TAKESHI]**  
-Are you mad that I teased you about you getting kicked out? I'm sorry okay? At least reply.

 **[8:37 A.M, February 27, 2016] [YAMATO TAKESHI]**  
-I'm going to your house later. You're never absent for three days straight. You're too stubborn for that.

 **[4:48 P.M, February 27, 2016] [WAKANA AOTSUKI]**  
-Ei-chan get well soon! We are all worried. The classroom is really silent without you! Like… literally.

 **[5:42 P.M, February 27, 2016] [YAMATO TAKESHI]**  
-What's going on here Eirin? Tokyo?

Eirin gulped at the last message she received.

8 missed calls **[YAMATO TAKESHI]**  
2 missed calls **[WAKANA AOTSUKI]**  
2 missed calls **[SAWAMURA EITOKU]**

Eirin sighed. She was avoiding her classmates for a reason. She didn't think that it would get to this point though. Also, it looks like the teachers refuse to tell them that she was already kicked out of the school. Perhaps, they want her to be the one to tell them first or they were waiting for the 'go-signal' from her parents. It wasn't exactly sure that she'll be attending Seido anyway. Throwing her head back she leaned on her seat. Then her phone rang.

Yamato Takeshi.

She gulped before taking the call.

"Hello-" it looks like the person on the other side of the line was very pissed off that he decided to cut her off.

" **So did you have fun in Tokyo?"** she never heard him like this before. His tone was low, dark and it was as if he just found out that something bad really happened. The catcher was usually calm and collected. He was always smiling and he was never sarcastic. He was not like this. Not like death has just chilled over him.

"…" silence was her only reply.

" **You didn't tell us that you actually got kicked out Ei-chan. Heck, you were already looking for a new school and ignored us for days. You weren't even replying to Wakana and I had to go to your house and ask your grandfather where you were,"** if Yamato was in front of her right now she could imagine him scowling with his hands on her hips like the mother hen he is to her.

"I'm sorry," her reply made him groan on the other side of the line. She made an apologetic face, one which showed how guilty she was.

" **And then?"** she blinked at that and wondered what he wanted to hear from her next.

" **Did you accept their offer? They scouted you right?"** he asked making her whimper in anger a bit. That damned Eitoku-jiji!

She shook her head as if the other line could see what she was doing and replied, "I haven't thought about it yet. Dad wants me to accept the offer but I want to go to a school near Teikoku so that I can still see you guys."

" **Well that's nice but Seido's a good school Ei-chan. A lot of major league players graduated from there. Teikoku's alumni once faced off with Seido in Koshien a couple of years ago and it was difficult to defeat them,"**

She exhaled a halted breath on his words, "D-Do you want me to go there?"

" **Well I want you to stay in Teikoku but you're already kicked out and Seido is giving you a chance so—"**

Eirin flinched a bit when she heard someone sob. The cry obviously belonged to a toddler. She stood up from her seat a bit scared because earlier she was the one riding on the passenger's car and they haven't stopped on a checkpoint yet. She assumed that it was a ghost but deep inside was hoping that she was wrong.

" **Ei-chan? Ei-chan what's wrong?"** Yamato sounded desperate on the other side of the line while forgotten.

The girl got out from her seat and walked towards the girl who was crying near the door that separated the train into sections. Judging by her appearance she was about two to three years old. Her hair was shoulder length coal and she had chocolate-brown eyes much similar to her friend Wakana. Eirin bended down to her level and tilted her head to the side not brave enough to touch because she was obviously a stranger in front of the child's eyes and she didn't want to make things worse or make her scared.

"What's wrong?" she tried to sound as kind and friendly as possible.

The girl sobbed. She covered her eyes with hands that curled into fists and replied, "O-Oni-san…"

Eirin glanced around and noticed that no one seems to be looking for a lost child because they were literally the only ones there. She concluded that she might have come from another side of the train and got lost which she doesn't know how. "Let's go look for your nii-san," she said taking the girl in her arms and carrying her. The student might have not noticed but she unconsciously put her phone in the pocket of her pants.

"What's your name?" she patted the girl's head and wiped her tears away. Fortunately it seemed to work because she immediately calmed down but still sniffled a bit. Eirin sighed out of relief. Thank kami-sama. Now if she wasn't that of an expert when it came to femininity or manners she definitely did know how to look after people.

"Y-Yuka," the girl replied through the gaps of her whimpers.

"There, there Yuka-chan. What does your nii-san look like? I'll help you look for him,"

She must have made the right decision because as if automatically the girl beamed at her. Well that was fast. This might be easy. The train is not crowded anyway. Heck, it's isolated here.

"W-Well he's very tall!"

Or not…

"What else Yuka-chan?" Eirin was already on the other side of the train which of course was also empty. There were not a lot of people going somewhere else during workdays after all.

"Nii-san and I have the same hair color! We're cousins!"

Well, time to look for a tall nii-san with black hair.

"He's the same age as nee-chan. You can be his girlfriend!"

Ehh.

W-What!?

"Y-Yuka-chan!?" Eirin started to stutter. What was this toddler saying!? Is she really three years old? How fluent! She could feel the heat in her face starting to rise. She has never been in this situation before! "Err… what else? What does he look like?" it might not be obvious but she's trying to change the subject.

The little girl smiled, "He's very athletic because he plays baseball!"

Eirin blinked. Talk about coincidence.

"And he's very popular but he's never had a girlfriend before," she leaned in as if suggesting something. Ohh, kami. The player just wanted to find 'nii-san' right away. She glanced around and noticed that someone from the other side of the train seemed to be in haste. Perhaps he was looking for something… or someone.

"Is that your nii-san, Yuka-chan?" she looked at the male and the child followed.

The girl smiled and exclaimed, "Nii-san!"

Well the guy must have noticed because he immediately ran towards them when he saw who called.

"Yuka! You got me worried for a second," he sighed out of relief when the girl went to his arms. His hair was damp and sweat trickled down his face. His voice was hoarse as if he was tired. Eirin grinned. Well at least Yuka found her cousin. "Where did you go? I thought I told you not to leave your seat!" he was scolding her in a tone that was not harsh or brash. It was more… kind and worried I guess? It was totally different to how Eirin's grandfather reprimands her.

"Well you fell asleep and I wanted to go to the bathroom. I didn't want to wake you up because you're tired from baseball practice," Yuka's head lowered and the male frowned crestfallen.

"And nee-chan helped me anyway!" she turned to Eirin who and smiled.

"She's really nice!"

Said 'nii-san' glanced at her before bowing as a greeting and Eirin did the same in return. "I'm Sanada Shunpei, thank you for helping my cousin… uhh…"

"I'm Sawamura Eirin, nice to meet you," Well at least she was able to apply what she learned at Ojou. She was well-mannered right? Only to strangers I guess.

"You're from Ojou," he unconsciously blurted out before blushing and realizing what he did.

Eirin laughed.

And they talked to each other all the way to Okegawa's stop where Sanada and Yuka had to get off. The child looked a bit sad. She wanted to talk more and she knew that if they got off they'll be riding the bus where it'll get quiet again and she'll have no one else to talk to.

"You're not going to ask her email address nii-san?" Yuka asked, a bit pissed off at the fact that all they talked about was baseball. She liked it a bit though. Eirin blinked and so did Sanada who in the end awkwardly laughed. "Our schools might be facing each other in the future," she added trying to sound as persuasive as possible.

And ohh kami who knows what happened next because they did exchange each other's email address.

* * *

Eirin stepped out of the train and the station with her cheeks flushed. She spent the rest of the hour thinking about what occurred when the two left. She was in a daze which never happened before and she herself knows that she should be wary because it's already dark and her house is still far away. Who knows what lurks in the shadows, perhaps ghosts or those yokai in the stories that her grandfather tells her before bedtime. She expected anything.

But not her childhood friend Yamato Takeshi who obviously looked pissed off.

His appearance only made it worse. His short pitch-black hair and piercing blue eyes made him look like a shinigami waiting to reap the souls of the dead. His arms were crossed and he had this scowl on his face which made Eirin immediately freeze on her place.

"It's rude to hang up on someone, Ei-chan," he smiled at her and that tick mark on his forehead didn't exactly help her feel better.

Eirin huffed and placed her hands on her hips before replying, "Well I had to help a lost crying child find her brother so it couldn't be helped. I was occupied on helping someone." And talking with 'nii-san' it seems. She gulped not wanting him to remember that she forgot calling him back.

"Well it makes others worried. At least call me back next time," he walked besides her and they strolled along the road which they were very familiar to. It was the path they sauntered every day since elementary school. They've known each other since forever and their families were close. It was the very same reason why Yamato entered the baseball club despite the fact that he was not that good at it. With her help and practice he was able to accompany and stay with her.

"By the way, I want you to do something," he pulled her by the hand and dragged her to the nearby park which was now isolated. Eirin panted as she was not exactly sure what her childhood friend was up to. She just stared as he took out mitts and a hardball from his backpack. So that's what it was for huh.

Eirin blinked and raised an eyebrow at him when he threw the mitt and ball at her while he crouched down after he created distance between the two of them. "Throw me the pitch that you've been working on recently," it was not a request. It was a demand. And judging by the look on his eyes he was dead serious on this one.

"What's up with this all of a sudden?" the girl asked as if protesting but still positioned her feet on the ground. Yamato grinned at her as if challenging and she twitched. That irritation disappeared when he replied though.

"I… want to catch your pitch one last time before we graduate," as if crestfallen his voice was soft and sad. They were graduating next week huh. On March 4 and she wouldn't be able to attend because she's a drop-out. Eirin narrowed her eyes at him before moving and digging her feet on the ground.

"Which one?"

"The modified slider,"

She looked at him with silence for a second before sighing.

Slowly, she raised her left leg and shifted all of her weight to it when it landed on the ground. Her hidden right hand rose behind her and the ball suddenly showed spinning to all directions like a maelstrom with fast moving speed only to get caught by Yamato who had his mitt above his head.

Her childhood friend smiled and he lowered his hand staring at the object as if his hand was hurting. "Unpredictable and destructive as ever. No one will be ever to catch that in Seido," he tossed her the ball and she laughed remembering Miyuki. Ohh, kami. The bastard made her blood boil.

"It's almost as fast as Satoru's fastballs," this time she pitched down in the middle.

"Satoru?"

"He's also going to Seido it seems,"

Eirin paused on her tracks.

"Not Ojou?" she raised a brow at him and he nodded.


	2. The Determination To Keep Standing

**Seraphic Charm**

 **Summary:** _She's was an elite that seems to attract a lot of strangers. First danger then Seido's assistant coach, lots and lots of players, her school's rival team's ace but what about Koshien? Fem!Sawamura._

 **Pairing:** Undecided.

 **Warnings:** _Alternate universe, OOC, canon similarities, unbelievable pitches, Fem!Sawamura and lots of cliché scenes._

 **A/N:** So I haven't updated for like a month and a half and I have no excuse for it, I have been procrastinating. But hey, I updated! It's now cool right? I finished 5/8'ths of this chapter in June but then I got really tired and I didn't want to proofread anything and before I knew it I was playing 'Harvest Moon' and taking care of my avatar so… yeah.

 **Guest – "Is she going to be a Mary Sue?"**

 _To those who don't know what a 'Mary Sue' is it means a female heroine who is always perfect. No, Eirin is not perfect in this story. I dropped hints in the last chapter and she's just the same as Eijun in the canon story which means she sucks at batting. And let's be real, she's not going to get in the first string that easily. She still has a lot of flaws which you'll find out after reading this chapter._

 **Cameroniele-"Yuka had me rollin on the floor hahah she's so awesome are you sure she's three? I have a few questions by the way. Does Eirin have some sort of connection to Furuya? Is Yamato actually going to Seido with her? Is she going to become the ace? Will Ojou take her back? Cause it's so awesome."**

 _Yes, Yuka is actually three. It must have been someone substituting her innocent bed time stories with shojou manga. And yes, Eirin has some sort of connection with Furuya. It's in this chapter so I won't spoil anything until you guys finish reading it. No, Yamato is not going to Seido with her. He's going to stay in Ojou and she's not going to become the ace really easily. There's still Furuya and not to mention, she has… problems which you'll see in this chapter. As for Ojou, will they take her back? Hmm… probably. Only her friends and a couple of her previous teammates know that she's going to Seido. But, that'll take a long shot. Probably a couple more chapters and the answer will be revealed._

 _ **AxisPowers – "Hey is it fine? I have a couple of questions. Did something happen that Eirin started to pitch using her right hand? You mentioned that she is ambidextrous in the A/N. Second, is Yamato going with her to Seido because if he does come with her, I'm curious about Miyuki's reaction. Third, does Sanada and Eirin talk/text each other? Will they meet during matches? I'm so excited for this one. Lastly, what about Furuya? Are Yamato and Eirin involved with him in something? I can't wait for the next chapter honestly. So awesome!"**_

 _As I mentioned in the previous chapter, she's ambidextrous for a reason and that will be revealed in this chapter. Yamato is not going with her and yes, Sanada and Eirin talk to each other for a couple of times. As for matches, yes they will meet in the future. Yamato, Eirin and Furuya have met each other in the past. Everything you just asked will be cleared up in this chapter._

 _ **Namelessjoker- "Yamato Takeshi? Is it coincidence that his name is almost the same as Katekyo Hitman Reborn's Yamamoto Takeshi? And holy cow, their school is named 'Princess'? No offense but I kinda laughed at that! I look forward to the next chapter!"**_

 _Well, now that you mention it, it's kind of similar. I based the name on 'Yamato Takeru', a character in Eyeshield 21. I was like… 'well, I can't completely copy the name' and 'what goes well with Yamato?'. During that time, I kind of remembered Mori-senpai from Ouran, he's a 'Takeshi' so yeah… But hey, I guess you do have a point. As for their school name, it's also from Eyeshield 21 XD Ojou means 'princess' or 'Milady' yes, I am aware. But that's why I chose it. Remember Seido's cheer? When Seido and Ojou are going to face off, Ojou is also going to have a huddle cheer which is going to be awesome. It's also named Ojou because it fits the concept of White Knights. They serve their Alma matter, like knights to their Queen, with nobility and readiness to put everything on the line._

As for the poll, I'm taking count. Keep voting and enjoy this chapter guys~! Ciao!

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Diamond No Ace or any of its characters. This story is purely fan made and no profit has been made._

 **Chapter Two: The Determination To Keep Standing**

Eirin's eyes focused on the magazine in front of her. She was so sure that the picture on the page belonged to that bastard catcher of Seido. It seems like he was talented after all. She found out that his name was Miyuki Kazuya and that he is the regular catcher of the school that scouted her. It appears that he was a year older than her and she gritted her teeth, a bit annoyed at that. Even until now she couldn't get the sound of his mitt out of her ears. The way his eyes looked so serious when he asked for a pitch. The way he grinned when he provoked her. That excitement she felt when he caught her throw.

" _Show me that you're a feisty heroine who's more than just a pretty face then,"_

The girl groaned. She just wanted to hit him all of a sudden.

He was such a bastard.

"I'll show you feisty," she muttered under her breath.

If she played with him just how much better will she get? Yamato never told her what to do. He always let her be. She was a prodigy in his eyes and she hated that. She hated the fact that she couldn't rely on others for help. Or is it just that she never asked? The battery she formed with her childhood friend was perfect and airproof. It was too perfect that mistakes were not forgiven and overlooked. One wrong move and their reputation would be destroyed. It has been like that since they entered junior high.

They were asked to join in order to have new members and if it wasn't for Eirin, Yamato wouldn't have entered. It was a way to kill time. In their second year of junior high a regular got his shoulder injured and that was when they saw a thread, a red string. They had to climb it up and before they knew it they were Ojou's puppet in strings competing with others for ranks and numbers.

Perfection?

Glory?

Power?

She never wanted any of that. All she wanted was to have fun, not rivalry inside a group and defending her honor. She was tired. She wanted to be in an actual team and not play on her own. Perhaps Seido was giving her that chance. But leaving the town for Tokyo? That was a bit crazy. And not to mention that she'd be in her school's rival team, what would she do if she did go to Koshien and face off with her former team mates? That means she would be playing against her friends and upperclassmen! The very same people who helped her train and improve.

Eirin groaned.

She was the one who dragged Yamato into playing baseball. She can't just leave him like that. Sure he said that he'll be transferring with her but she knew that both of his parents, right from the start hated the sport. They were lucky that they allowed him to play but that cost him to be wary of nearly everything. He always needed to be in the top three of the school or else it was goodbye to baseball. They would never allow him to go with her! He was never interested in sports to begin with and he just stuck with her. How could she possibly betray him?

She just… can't.

Eirin blinked when she heard her phone ring. Someone just messaged her. She unlocked her phone's password and went through her inbox. There had been a couple of messages after another from her friends and she softly smiled. It was supposed to be her graduation day today but because she was kicked out, she could not attend even though her name was still included. Her grandfather on the other hand was the one who claimed her diploma and certificate from the teachers in private this morning. She tapped on her phone, opening one message after another. Most of them were from her classmates. She expected them to be questions but was then proved wrong.

 **[11:52 A.M, March 03, 2016] [MITSUKURI GIN]  
** -It's awesome that you got scouted by Seido, Ei-chan! We wish you the best and good luck! By the way, the class is having a party as Taira's place later. Better come! We still have a lot of things to tell you. Don't even think about skipping like what you did at the graduation ceremony this morning!

 **[11:52 A.M, March 03, 2016] [AOTSUKI WAKANA]  
** -Ei-chan, you're so cruel! You didn't tell me that you were going to transfer! You should have seen the look on our faces when we asked your grandfather why you were absent for almost a week straight! I assume that the others had already told about the farewell party? Wear something nice okay? A dress! I'll be interrogating you later so prepare yourself!

 **[11:53 A.M, March 03, 2016] [TAKATSUKASA SHIMA]  
** -Kohai! Yamato told us that you're not going to attend Ojou anymore. You should have seen Taketomo-senpai's reaction when he discovered that. We're worried for the baseball club's future now! We only have two pitchers left. Not that we're going to lose though. Good luck!

 **[11:54 A.M, March 03, 2016] [HONJOU MIYU]  
** -Ei-chan! Seido scouted you! And I was last to know! We're both girls why didn't you tell me? I'm going to congratulate you for now okay? I still have a lot of things to ask later at the party so you better come! I'm feeling a bit bitter because you were not at the graduation ceremony earlier.

 **[11:55 A.M, March 03, 2016] [ARAI YUKINO]  
** -I miss you already Ei-chan! I like seeing you follow your dreams though. Go chase after Seido! It's a good chance so don't let it go! I'm just a bit worried that you'll have no friends because no offense everyone is scared of you because of your pitching. It might be different when you transfer so I don't really know. Just give me a call when you're sad okay? And don't skip the party later! I bet Yamato already told you that though.

 **[11:55 A.M, March 03, 2016] [TAIRA SHION]  
** -Oi, what's this I'm hearing huh. You're going to transfer to Seido? That's a rival school you dumbass! As the captain I won't allow you. But I guess it's useless to persuade you at this point. Go get them, Eirin. You're Ojou's ace so don't let us down!

A tick mark appeared on the girl's forehead before she silently growled. That damned Eitoku-jiji! He didn't really have to tell them everything! She was planning on doing it herself and he just ruined all of her carefully schemed plan! But she really didn't expect them to reply like that. She thought that they would be more vexed, furious maybe. Her friends has always been scolding her when she did something dumb or make an offense. Even though their words were nice to hear and encouraging, she felt her heart ache a bit. Then her phone rang again…

Yamato Takeshi.

Ohh, here it is.

"Yo," she greeted him with a cheerful tone. Eirin would be lying if she said that she didn't expect this. He has always been the first one to inform her of things. It was also probably the reason why her classmates didn't include any information about the party in their messages. They relied on her childhood friend too much. "What's up?" the student was lying on her stomach while her free hand flipped through the pages of the magazine where Miyuki's interview was.

Yamato on the other side of the line coughed, "A lady does not say such words as a greeting, Ei-chan. What do you mean 'Yo, what's up?'" She knew that he was only teasing her and she grinned. "Or have you already forgotten about Ojou's teachings and had moved on? You didn't even attend the graduation ceremony! And by the way, Eitoku-jii-sama told the others about you transferring. I hope you were not startled by the messages?" she held back a scoff. He always referred to her grandfather as '–sama ' and she told him that her grandfather was not nice at all. The elder just acted decent and proper towards others unlike how he does to her. Now she sounded like the bad guy. Yamato insisted that it was just right and proper to address the head of the Sawamura house with respect.

"I have been informed of that Takeshi no kimi," she mocked him back with a very regal and dignified voice which she rarely used. When she heard no reply from him she giggled as if she was wearing a kimono and was laughing at her sleeve. "Now why did you call?" It was astonishing how fast she recovered and changed her tone. This time she sounded bored and her eyes scanned the page before her. She lowly growled when she saw the page she was on. Why won't the bastard Tanuki, Miyuki Kazuya leave her alone for a second! How many pages is he in anyway?

Yamato laughed on the other side of the line and said, "You read the Book of Five Rings too much, Ei-chan. There's going to be a party at the Taira estate and everyone expects you to be present. Are you going to be available at around six thirty? Don't even think about skipping, I've already told your grandfather earlier and he agreed."

"Hmm, well I'm free. I can go! What about the dress code?"

"Ei-chan, it's a formal party. And knowing Taira's family it's going to be something grand,"

"So it's a dress? Okay then,"

"Just so you know I'm going to pick you up later at six to make sure you're wearing something proper and I'm going to ask Eitoku-jii-sama to make you change if I see you wearing jeans and a shirt—Ehh? W-What did you just say?"

"I said okay, I'm going to wear a dress later,"

"Who are you and what did you do to Ei-chan?"

Eirin laughed at his acclaim, "It's the last time I'll be meeting the others for a while. It seems like I'm really going to Seido huh?" Well she didn't really consider transferring schools at first but hearing her friends assume that she's already leaving somehow scarred her heart and encouraged her to move on. Not that there were any other school options. There were no other good schools in Nagano aside from Ojou and some public ones which were really far away from her house. She wanted one with a well-structured baseball club anyway.

"And just so you know I'll be wearing something white," she could literally hear him choke on thin air. He was probably blushing by now or so she thinks.

"Then… it's a white tie for me then," she chuckled at his response. Yamato was very excited. He didn't get to see her during the graduation ceremony so he was anticipating for six o' clock to come. When it did, he immediately headed to her house by his family's car dressed in his own attire.

* * *

Yamato walked on the Sawamura estate's stone path with his hands clenched. He was wearing a suit which was black and his formal button up, pants and shoes were in the same color. His white necktie was loosely tied while his hair his was brushed to the side. He looked handsome in fact. Standing 5'9 in height and with midnight blue eyes no one would try to deny him. Everyone even bets that he has a chance to catch a hot model as his girlfriend. He had no idea why he was so clammy though.

Eirin's mother, Sawamura Sumire, who kindly opened the gate for him giggled at the sight and asked, "What are you getting nervous for Takeshi-kun?"

He flinched on his place before replying, "I'm… worried that she might not be wearing the appropriate attire. It's already a little bit pass six and if she changes we have no time left. We'll be late." Sumire glanced at him and laughed.

Ohh, kami.

All the lies he has been telling. From his parents and chauffeur, now even to Eirin's mother.

He was actually nervous because—

"Takeshi!" the voice belonged to Eirin and he glanced at the main house's door which slid open.

He paused on breathing and took in the sight in front of him. Her long hair was done in waves and a front braid. She wore such little amount of make-up and he concluded that it was not done by her because she absolutely sucked at it. Perhaps Sumire helped her with that. Hints of eye shadow, mascara, blush, gloss and powder were enough. She was wearing a long white formal evening dress which seemed to flow in layers. Her hands and neck were bare while on her feet were—sneakers?

Takeshi was about to walk towards her but paused on his tracks when he noticed. He crossed his arms and raised a brow at her. Eirin's mother took a step forward before gasping at her daughter and asked, "What's with your feet? What happened to the shoes I gave you earlier?

"They're three inches Mom! Three inches! That's too much for me!" she complained while being pushed inside the house by her mother. Like hell with three inches! People could wall with six and three is not even that high. Yamato sighed and followed. And there he was thinking that Eirin would look like a bride wearing a white dress. Miracles don't happen that easily huh? Wait… what did he just… The catcher turned red before shaking his head to make the blush on his face disappear.

Eirin's grandfather entered the living room they were in and blinked before grinning and teasing them, "You two are already getting married huh?"

Ohh wait. Let Yamato take that back.

Miracles do happen.

Eirin was muttering something under her breath as she struggled to put on her strappy white three inch heels. "Go away jiji!" she exclaimed rather loudly only to hear laughter from the elder. He on the other hand was covering the bottom half of his face with his hand. "Other colors don't suit me anyway! I can't pull of red, orange is way too flashy, yellow is too bright for a formal party at night, green doesn't look good on me, I don't have any blue dresses, I don't like violet and black reminds me of the darkness where a lot of yokai live and manifest— "

"Okay we get it. Just get going already! Takeshi is waiting for you!" her mother helped her get up and Eirin turned to face Takeshi who had a soft smile on his face. He has been listening to the entire thing and being childhood friends with the girl definitely did make him get used to such scene. It was a lively one in fact. He had been to the Sawamura estate a couple of times before in his childhood and for the past years. It was always a rowdy sight.

"Takeshi!"

"You look nice, Ei-chan. Shall we go?" he asked as he offered her his arm.

Eirin grinned and accepted, "Sure!"

* * *

The pitcher pranced into the Taira mansion's wide hall with her childhood friend trailing behind her. In Eirin's opinion the party was rather grand for just fifty people if you include their homeroom teacher Sano. But Ojou and its students were always over the top and by the years she had already learned that. As if immediately, when she walked towards her friends, as if metal and magnet the others started to crowd around her.

"You're going to transfer!?"

"Why did you not attend the graduation ceremony earlier?"

"You were absent for about a week and we haven't seen you since!"

"Ei-chan, we heard from your grandfather that you got scouted by Seido. So how did it go?" her friend Miyu asked in the most refined manner. Most of the girls acted and spoke that way, feminine and as if defenseless. Eirin didn't even consider pretending to be that way even if it was for the sake of her grades. "You accepted it right? It would be such a waste! Who knows, you might get drafted in the national team again. Last time it was impossible because of your age right?" the others behind her nodded.

"Seido is okay, probably the same as Ojou just not with the manners and stuff. The baseball club was awesome! It's like war there with everyone training like mad. There's this Enoki guy who was the star player of the Sakuragaoka Jr. High that we played against to last year and the coach doesn't even seem to notice him!" her classmates seemed to awe at that. She was always fluent when it came to baseball.

Wakana smiled, "You're finally following your dreams, Ei-chan!"

She turned and looked at them with her smile slowly disappearing.

"Go for it, Ei-chan!"

"We'll support you no matter where you go!"

"Yeah, we'll even cheer for you when Ojou faces against Seido in Koshien! "

"Really?" they didn't seem to notice the hint of sadness in her voice and how her eyes smiled fake at their remarks.

"Ei-chan, if it's you then nothing is impossible!"

"Take flight to your dreams! It's what you want right?"

Eirin lowered her head. She could feel her eyes starting to water a bit.

"Aww, don't be so sad. We'll be fine! In fact, the room will be quiet without you! We'll miss you though!"

 _That's not it._

"You're the lady representative right? Prove that to Seido, Ei-chan!"

 _I want to stay with you guys._

"So, where's Taira? I want to greet him. Do you want to come with me, Ei-chan?" before she knew it she was already getting dragged by Yamato towards the veranda. No one was there and it was silent while the light from the hall shone at them through the large arched French doors. She was silent while he leaned over the railing with his hair blown by the wind. It was freezing. It was cold. But Eirin did not notice because she held her head down.

After a few seconds, she leaned on the cold metal with her elbows, "The air doesn't feel like its nearing summer at all."

Yamato inched forward and draped his blazer around her bare shoulders, "You'll catch a cold."

Eirin just hummed in response.

"They really ask a lot of questions huh? And I thought I explained the case well earlier," he sighed at the end of his sentence. He glanced at her who seemed to flinch before laughing. He softly frowned at the worried look on her face. "Is something bothering you?" they have known each other for years in order to identify the difference. In their case, being childhood friends and forming a battery, they have a thicker bond between them than any other would expect.

"I guess you didn't tell them that I got kicked out," she grinned at him.

"It was not my place to do so. I figured that you wanted to tell them yourself,"

"Yeah, I would like that,"

Yamato softly smiled at her before saying, "So did you enroll at Seido yet? We have less than a month before the new school year starts." She paused at that and looked at him with a crestfallen expression. He was willing to go with her but she knows that it's impossible. She clearly heard the way he referred to the two of them as 'we' but that was not going to happen. He noticed the biting expression she had before he laughed bitterly and continued, "What? I'm going to go with you. I thought I told you that last time?"

Eirin simply stared at him while he continued on smiling at her and said, "But you can't just leave your parents for baseball. We're lucky that they let you play the sport with me in Ojou but they won't let you go to Tokyo just for that." He flinched at her words. Yes, his parents were strict. He came from a well-off family that had no connections to the field of athletics but he could care less.

"My parents have nothing to do with my decisions, Eirin. I want to continue playing baseball with you. We want the same right? We're a battery,"

"What I want and what I am supposed to do are two different things,"

"What do _you_ want then?"

"I want… to go to Seido," she answered him and he gave no reply. He waited for her to continue and she did, "Takeshi, I want to be in a team. I don't want to be the ace just because everybody expects me to be and when I fail they get disappointed. I don't want to cause more trouble for you guys just because I can't control how I act."

Yamato avoided her gaze at that and asked, "What are you supposed to do then?"

"I'm going to accept Seido's offer and I'm leaving you here," she could see his hands turning white from the grip he was applying on the railing. "Not because I want to but because it's needed. I don't want to involve you in my mistakes, Takeshi. You deserve better and Ojou is going to give you that. Your parents are not going to allow you anyway." He saw her sad smile and he sighed. Eirin has always been considerate since they were young. She always weighed out options and picked the one where most people benefits the best and ignored what she desired to do. He doesn't know if that was a good quality of her though.

"Is the baseball club of Seido good?" he asked her with his tone sounding a bit sad.

She nodded and replied, "They're great. There's definitely someone who caught my eye when I came to visit."

"They need you in Ojou," her eyes were dead serious and she could see his hands go to his sides and his head turn to the ground. "You can't come with me to Seido, Takeshi," the cold wind blew and it froze her fingertips. She wasn't sure if he felt the cold since he looked the same but if you looked closely, you would be able to see how his eyes were a bit crestfallen.

Yamato sighed and painfully closed his eyes, "I see."

"Takeshi— "

"I'm going to greet the others. I'll talk to you later,"

* * *

It was the second week of March and the new term started in about a week and a half. Eirin found herself looking out of the train and gazing at the cherry blossoms that they passed by. In the end, she never told her classmates and friends that she was already leaving. Yamato didn't even contact her after what happened at the party. She was heading to Tokyo and ready to move at the dorms. She was already enrolled and her things were sent to the school though he had no idea who'll she be with. A couple more minutes and the train would stop on her destination. Eirin sighed, a bit nervous. She glanced at her phone which rang and showed a new message.

 **[10:57 A.M, March 25, 2016] [SANADA SHUNPEI]**

-Well congratulations on getting admitted to Seido. Our teams might face each other during the road to Koshien so I'm hoping to see you pitch. Good luck!

Eirin grinned. She and Sanada have been exchanging messages for a while now and it has been fun. They talked about a lot of things especially baseball. Sanada was interested in Ojou and her while he also told her about his teammates. "You bet! I'm going to be working my ass off just to be on the regular line-up!" she typed and pressed sent. A few moments later her phone rang again.

 **[10:59 A.M, March 15, 2016] [SANADA SHUNPEI]**

-I'll be looking forward to it then, Eirin!

Well she was confident that she'll be making it in the second string at least. She wasn't really exactly sure if she's going to make it on the first string though. Seido was different from Ojou after all. What she knows is that she was definitely going to work hard to prove that gender in baseball doesn't matter. Females were now allowed to participate in Koshien so yes, this was her chance!

" _Our next stop is Tokyo, Kokubunji Station,"_

Well would you look at that. Eirin stood up from her seat and out of the line when the train stopped. She scanned her card and tried to get out of the station when-

"Sawamura-chan~!" Eirin twitched. They only met once but she clearly remembers whose voice it was. She froze on her place and scowled at the person who stood a couple of meters away from her. "Don't just stand there! I'm going to leave you, you know," he chuckled at her with that demonic grin. Eirin forced herself to stop scoffing. She recognizes that chestnut hair anywhere. And those glasses…

"Miyuki Kazuya!" she huffed with her hands on her hips as she stomped towards him.

That damned Tanuki!

"What? Rei-chan was busy so she asked me to pick you up! It's a privilege so be grateful," he smirked at her teasingly. "And all I have to do is walk with you anyway. The school is just a ten minute walk from the station," he added.

She shook her head at him and replied, "I can take care of myself!" by then the two of them started to walk.

"Why do you hate me so much anyway? It kind of hurts my feelings you know," he teased and acted on a frown. She froze and glanced at him with a scowl. Well now that you mention it, he really didn't do anything that bad for her to despise him. "And we'll be working together from now on so you have no choice but to bear with it," her eyes widened at that. If she did make it into the first string then yes, she definitely has to work and form a battery with him.

She frowned and looked at him before saying, "I don't really hate you. I just… don't like you. You're completely different from Takeshi. And I haven't pitched to anyone other than him and the coaches before."

He raised a brow at her statement. Now that made him curious. "Well sorry for not being kind and considerate. Just so you know Seido is a warzone for baseball players so we'll treat everyone the same way, female or not. Don't compare us to some elite school like Ojou," he answered rather grimly.

Eirin rolled her eyes at his assumption and answered, "That's not it. It's just that…"

"That?"

"Takeshi never asked me to throw a specific pitch before," her voice sounded sad and he paused in order to continue looking at her. "After I threw the crossfire pitch you asked for one down in the middle. That's why I don't like catchers your type! Well not really but… I'm not used to it I guess," Miyuki stared at her and noticed her crestfallen expression.

" _A cross fire pitch,"_

 _Miyuki's eyes widened and he stared at the ball in his hands. If time could dramatically stop it would be the perfect time to do so. The athletes on the sidelines looked baffled at the scene and were somehow whispering. No one expected her to throw such a difficult pitch at such young age. He turned his attention towards her. She was glancing at her surroundings while rotating her shoulders. She looks calm, has she done this many times before?_

" _Sawamura!" he exclaimed showing her his mitt._

 _Her eyes widened. Down in the middle?_

 _Eirin grinned before starting her windup. Why not?_

He was silent for a second and stared at her face. "Yamato Takeshi never asked you to throw a specific pitch?" he laughed and she glared at him. He was just teasing her to lift her spirits up. "Don't worry. I'm not that kind of catcher. I'm completely different from him," he assured her, not exactly sure what to feel about that. He sometimes let the pitchers throw whatever pitch they wanted but most of the time it was based on his decision.

She threw him daggers for the second time with her eyes and replied, "Yes, I know. You are completely different from Takeshi. You're a jerk and a bastard that likes to irritate people!" He grinned down at her for that one.

"Well thank you,"

"That wasn't a compliment!"

Soon, even before they knew it they were already inside the school's grounds and Miyuki was walking her towards the Greenhorn dorm. Seido looked the same as she remembers, like the last time she came but one thing definitely caught her attention for sure. There were players in the mound practicing, running and training. She blinked at that and Miyuki seemed to notice her questioning look. "Even though it's spring vacation we still practice hard in the morning. There's also afternoon training but most of the regulars stay for the whole day. Some extend till night beyond curfew in their own time," he answered but Eirin remained silent with her gaze focused on the bunch. Even Ojou which was an elite school didn't practice or even try this hard. This was beyond what she was able to understand.

"Why is it that everyone is training so hard? Why do you all want to go to Koshien?" she faced him with a desperate expression. She did not understand why the players of Seido always exerted such efforts. Was it because they wanted to prove something? To get scouted and drafted in the national team? Some were not even in the first string so why try so hard when you know that you'll not have a chance to step on the mound and play?

"Unlike the players of Ojou everyone is not blessed with the natural talent for baseball. It's all because of sheer work and determination that everyone is able to improve. We want to go to Koshien because we're a team and its proof that we are strongly forged,"

Eirin's eyes narrowed, "For… the power and glory?"

Miyuki shook his head and replied before grinning, "Because we are challengers." She softly smiled taking it as an answer for now before walking away from the scene. Seido sure is strange and Miyuki was even worse. She couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if she stuck around for a couple of months.

"And we're here! Ja jan, welcome to the dorm where everyone from the baseball club who is far away from home lives! Seeing that you're rich and from Ojou you can start complaining now and I won't even stop you because the first time I arrived here, I was also baffled by the sight,"

Eirin crossed her arms and replied, "Why do you assume that just because I'm from Ojou means that I'm rich and annoying? It looks like a regular apartment to me but what's up with all this underwear!?" It almost looked like there was a bargain sale. Miyuki chuckled, completely amused by her reaction and paused on his tracks. The girl who was trailing behind him was startled and hit his back, "Dammit! Don't just stop walking all of a sudden—" she turned to look at the door he stopped in front of.

The pitcher gulped. On small wooden planks her name was written on besides other two who she assumed were her roommates. It was her first time living with other people before and the thought slightly terrified her. Miyuki grinned and said, "Well my job ends here. You'll get along well with them," he assumed out the blue. The catcher walked further away from the dorms and perhaps towards the field while she had her hand on the doorknob. She took a deep breath before turning it and-

"Gah!" someone covered in blood came face to face with her and she immediately paled.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The male broke out into a smile which later on turned into loud bursts of laughter. "Hahaha! That worked really great! They did that to me last year and I was so scared that I couldn't get up!" he exclaimed reaching out a hand to help the girl who was sprawled on the floor with her mouth wide open. She really did not expect to be welcomed like this. It was rather astonishing and unusual. Eirin accepted his hand and stood up while she heard him continue, "Welcome to Seido High's baseball team!"

She then saw another person standing inside the room behind the other. A 'nice to meet you' was written on the paper he was holding and she immediately wondered why. The one who tried to scare her grinned before pushing her inside the room and said, "Don't let it get to you! He made an error yesterday so he's not letting himself talk." The bigger male behind him silently fumed with a blush on his face.

"I'm Kuramochi Youichi,"

"Masuko Tooru," another paper was shown.

"S-Sawamura Eirin,"

"Yosh! To deepen our friendship we'll have a golf tournament with you!" he exclaimed holding out his controller and game console. He and the Masuko sat in front of the television screen while she stood near the door still baffled and amazed. "Have you played this before?" he asked, slightly amused. Well regardless of her answer they were going to force her play it anyway.

"Well, yeah. I have played it before," slightly unsure she walked towards the two and sat down. She was taking back everything she said. Seido was not similar to Ojou in the slightest way possible. She thought that it would be like an army base but she figured that she was wrong. "I have a similar game at home and I tried it a couple of times," she crossed her legs in a pretzel and accepted the controller that he handed over to her.

"If you lose you're going to be our slave for a year," she could hear Kuramochi mutter dark words under his breath and she turned to look at him.

"I think I just heard something really scary!"

"Ahahaha! It's just your imagination! Hurry up and let's play golf!"

* * *

Eirin stood in line besides the other new first year members. It was morning practice and her roommates were fortunately kind enough to inform her of the schedule. At first Kuramochi was hesitant and wanted to make fun of her but gave in anyway. They said that the coach was a pretty scary guy but it was different in her opinion. He reminded her of a character from her favorite historical novel 'Book of Five Rings'. He sounded kind of like a general because of the way he speaks so sternly. She blinked when the others started to introduce themselves. There were a lot of famous players and aces of baseball teams throughout their junior high. Their schools were not relatively well-known like Seido though.

"Higashikuni Naoki! Position, short stop!" she glanced at the speaker. He was also from Nagano and they faced off with his team during the preliminaries. If she remembers, he was from Shonan-Higo Jr. High. A pretty decent school per say.

"Hino Takumi! Position, catcher!"

"Andou Akira! Position, center fielder!"

"Furuya Satoru. Position, pitcher," Eirin grinned, so there he was. He looked the same like the last time she remembers. All that changed from him was his height.

"Hideaki Arata! Position, left fielder!"

"Kashiwagi Jun! Position, pitcher!" Her grin was slowly disappearing into a frown. Just how many aces applied to Seido? He was from Tondabayashi, Osaka and was Shimizu-Hizashi Jr. High's ace, a pretty popular one too in fact.

"Unohana Hiro! Position, right fielder!"

Eirin smiled like a feline knowing that it was already her turn, "Sawamura Eirin, position, pitcher!" And all of a sudden she could hear various gasps and whispers from everywhere. Some of the practicing upperclassmen also glanced at her direction before saying something to one another. Well she did come from a rival school that they want to obliterate so it was understandable. She couldn't blame them really. But for some reason, she felt very proud when she felt Furuya's gaze on her. It was cold one on top of that.

"She won the MVP in the Spring Junior High Tournament last year and this year!"

"What is she doing here? Man, and here I thought that I had a chance!"

"We won't even get a place on the third string at this rate!"

"But dude, listen. She won't stand a chance because she's female,"

"Y-Yeah, I guess so. High school is different from junior high so,"

Well some statements kind of struck a nerve.

"Hey! Guy! You! What did you say? You there with the idiotic face! That dumbass who's pointing to his face! Higashikuni from Shonan-Higo Jr. High who lost to me in the preliminary round last month! What did you say? I've seen you play before and you suck!" The coach looked at her with a brow raised while Furuya from afar was covered in sweat. The other newcomers seemed to look surprised at the sudden rise of action.

"You can't even field properly and you're such a sexist jerk! Come here and I'll kick your ass—"

"Sawamura," the coach scolded her grimly.

She turned at him with a smile on her face and asked, "Yes, boss?" He stared at her and noticed the admiration in her eyes. It has been like that since they first met and he assumed that it was because she looked up at him, he was the coach after all. But no, it was just due to the fact that he reminded her of her favorite character. It was as if he just suddenly came to life. You know, with her being a massive fan of the General and all the shojou-manga influence.

"Come with me for a second. The rest of you go to the field and run,"

Everyone palled at the girl. Ohh kami, she was going to get scolded—

"Yes boss!" she trailed behind him like a puppy.

—And she had no idea.

When they arrived at the office she was not shocked to see that Rei was also there. She was the assistant coach so her presence was necessary for the club. On the other hand, she completely had no idea why she was suddenly called. She expected her first day to be a regular one where she practices with the others and maybe pitch a throw or two. She started to wonder that perhaps she was going to get scolded for picking a fight. I mean, she always gets called to the teacher's lounge for that and what else? Eirin unconsciously started to brace herself and gritted her teeth, hard.

"What are you doing," Rei asked with her arms crossed and her brow high. Honestly, Eirin didn't understand the question at all. Was she referring to what she did earlier or something else? She opened her eyes which seemed to have closed from bracing herself. "Why are you looking like we are about to hit you?" she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

Eirin blinked at that before smiling brightly, "You're not going to scold me?" It was the happiest she has been for years. It has been the first time she was called by the teachers for something else other than getting reprimanded for something that she has done. To be honest, she was a bit proud of herself. Okay, maybe a little bit too much.

"Why would we scold you?"

Her smile became even sunny if possible, "Really? What did you guys need me for then?" The older woman smiled at that- smirked if possible.

"We want you to tell us everything about Ojou,"

The female pitcher grinned. Touché, Seido is smart.

"Sure why not. Where do you want me to start first?"

"Who are the ones expected to be on the first string this year,"

Eirin nodded and made herself comfortable on one of the seats. The teachers didn't really seem to mind and Rei took out her pen and notebook. They needed information and they needed as much as possible. They would be lying if they said that they scouted the girl just for her skills. She was a member of Ojou so she knew a lot about the team. Eirin also assumed that that was one of the reasons, not that she minded. She'll be working with Seido from now on anyway.

"There are three people that are expected to be in the first string I guess. Mitsukuri Gin, Asakura Hayato and Yamato Takeshi," she stated while counting her hands. She talked to them but was not really close except for Yamato who was her childhood friend and personal catcher in her past school. "Mitsukuri is our relief pitcher in the junior high team. He's the one who replaces me when I get called out by the coach. He has this 152 km/h fastball which is such a pain in the ass for me when I'm batting because I can't really bat to save my life and— "

Eirin gulped when she saw Rei leering at her.

"He has a changeup and he's very fast at running I guess. He concentrates really well too! He never disobeyed Yamato's signals. I'm not sure about Asakura because we're not really close and I hate his guts. He always tells me to act more womanly and quit the baseball club to do more feminine stuff like flower arrangement—"

Another glare.

"He's… the first baseman and he really good at contact, not to mention he's very intimidating. He made four homeruns in the whole junior high tournament last school year but other than that he's not really something great because he sucks at bunting," she paused for a second and started to think about what to say before smiling at the two. "And do I really have to tell you about Takeshi? He's really popular so I thought that you already have data on him," she blinked when she saw Rei smirk at her.

"We have the general one but we need information from someone who has pitched to him. What calls does he usually make?" Kataoka sternly asked and the girl found herself wondering again. Yamato never called for a pitch during games. He always positioned his mitt in the center and waits for her to throw one that she likes. He always left the choice to her when it was her time to pitch. Not that he ever missed one of her throws.

"Takeshi just lets me throw,"

Rei raised a brow at her curious statement, "And why exactly is that?"

Eirin grinned and before shrugging her shoulders, "Well, I don't really know. He asked me for pitches during our first year when we entered the club but halfway through, he stopped asking me for specific throws."

" _Eirin's smart. She doesn't need to be reprimanded by anyone. You can't tell her what to do. She's just a bit reckless sometimes," she could clearly see how furious he looked when their coach told him that she wouldn't be joining the baseball club anymore. It was not her choice to quit. She was made to because of her injury. People kept telling her that it was for the best, she wouldn't be able to pitch with her dominant hand again anyway. "At least let her stay in the team as the manager," her eyebrows knitted and her eyes narrowed, getting a bit teary when she saw him clench his fists and hear how his tone changed from raged to terrified and pleading._

" _You won't find someone as passionate as Ei-chan when it comes to pitching,"_

 _Yamato always knew what was best._

" _The accident was not her fault. The batter was confused and I should have moved faster,"_

 _Yamato why do you keep defending?_

" _If you need to remove somebody, it's me,"_

 _Eirin took a deep breath before walking away from the door which was left open and unnoticed._

The assistant coach sighed at her unobvious persistence and said, "Tell us about the regulars."

* * *

The female pitcher couldn't help but break a smile at the thought of dominating the mound like literally. Everyone in the baseball club went to the Tokyo Spring Tournament Quarter finals to support the regulars and watch the game along with the female managers and staff. Eirin on the other hand insisted to stay because she missed morning practice due to the conversation she had with the coaches. She grinned and started to stretch with the empty field somehow giving her a sense of independence.

It was then she started to realize one very important thing, "W-Who will catch my pitches?" Her eyes widened at the thought. Well she could use the nets but it was a pain to clean up and it was far away from the mound. Eirin chuckled after spending a minute on brainstorming ideas. She could play catch with herself… she guesses. She just has to throw the ball really high and run fast then—

 _Catch._

 _Throw._

 _Catch._

 _Throw._

 _Catch._

Eirin slumped on the ground. It seemed like she realized that playing catch on her own looked really sad and not to mention depressing. She flinched a bit when the light coming from the sun hit her eyes and her lashes fluttered close. What was she doing here anyway? Opening her eyes, she was greeted by someone's face.

"Hey, is that fun," it was no one other than Furuya and he was looking down her figure with that never changing stoic expression of his, just like she remembers. He definitely got taller but she was only trailing behind him by a couple of inches. Other than that, nothing much changed. "You're playing all by yourself," he continued and he remained on his place despite the change on Eirin's expression.

The female pitcher immediately rose and stood on her feet, exclaiming, "Satoru!?"

"If you want someone to play with how about me? Since you look kind of pathetic," seriously, that guy had no delicacy when it came to girls.

"Hah!? I can totally manage on my own. How long have you been there anyway? Don't tell me you've seen all of that!" she then sent him a glare which obviously said that she would not be happy if he did. The two knew each other because of baseball. They met in Hokkaido during the time Ojou held a practice match with his school. "And stop watching people, you'll be mistaken as a stalker!" she added making his blink for a second.

Furuya stared at her monotonously but if you look closely, you could see how sweat dripped from his forehead to his chin and how he unconsciously gulped, "I did not. The bus left while I was in the bathroom and it would be a pain to go after it so I have no choice but to stay behind. And what are you doing here?"

Eirin huffed and crossed her arms above her chest, "What do you mean what am I doing here, playing baseball, obviously. Furuya you're really slow sometimes you know."

The male sweat dropped for the second time of the day, "I didn't mean that. I mean, what are you doing here in Seido?" Seriously, he wasn't sure if it was her lack of common intellect or it she hit her head on something when she was born. It would definitely remain a mystery to Furuya. "Weren't you supposed to be in Ojou with Yamato," it didn't even sound like a question coming from him. It was more of a statement on his behalf. He was actually shocked to find her alone during the new members' introduction this morning.

"Well things happened and I didn't have a choice but to go here instead. Seido's assistant coach, Rei-chan scouted me after we played against Narushima," she was dusting her pants as she spoke while the other pitcher only stared at her. She really did change over the years, she looked completely different from the last time he saw her even if some remained as it is. For example that brash attitude and that signature grin of hers. "What are you doing here in Seido?" she placed her hands on her hips and inched her face forward making him step back a couple of inches. They were too close and she looked up at him so that angle didn't really help him that much.

"I applied here in Seido because of him,"

Eirin grinned and threw him the ball, "Miyuki Kazuya?"

"I read an article. If it's him then he can catch the pitches I throw in full power,"

The girl giggled with her eyes smiling before humming in curiosity, "I wonder about that, he's such a weirdo sometimes. But no one can catch your pitches in Hokkaido so he's better than the others I guess. Have you pitched to him yet?" When she saw him shake his head, she sighed and grinned at him with one which irked him because it obviously said 'Well, I did'. "I thought you were going to Ojou because of Takeshi," she expected him to reply but he remained silent while she tapped her shoes on the mound, trying to dig them in for better balance.

Furuya only stared at her worriedly and asked, "Your left arm… Can, you still even pitch properly?"

The girl blinked at him before she gave him a reassuring smile and said, "Yeah, I can throw."

Furuya didn't push her any further and only watched as she showed him her mitt, signaling him to throw the ball to her. He would be lying if he said that he was not worried. He had been a part of the accident, he was also one to blame. The male pitcher's eyes narrowed at the thought. It has already been years but there were still times which that event haunted him in his dreams and he would always wake up in the middle of the night breathless.

Guilt.

It was eating him alive.

 _Furuya silently stared at the batter and catcher who were twitching like mad in front of him. He was in Tomokomai Junior High's baseball club and mostly everyone couldn't catch his pitch because of the crazy speed found in the fastballs that he can pitch. It was kind of disappointing really. They were in the same age as him and some of them even trained more than he did. Winning the junior high baseball tournament in their prefecture would be a piece of cake with him on the team._

 _Or so he thought…_

 _Strike!_

 _It was during his school's practice match with Ojou Academy. Furuya's eyes widened as the ball flew pass him and towards the catcher's mitt with the bat he was holding not having the chance to move even a millimeter from its original position. It was the first pitch, it was fine. He could still move and retaliate. The male repositioned himself and gripped the bat tighter. Those blaring golden cat eyes were staring only at the catcher's mitt, he could tell. The first time he saw her, he was immediately horrified by the amount of concentration she had. And that pitch… that modified slider…_

 _Strike!_

 _It was terrifying._

 _One last pitch and he would be out. How can a catcher catch that kind of pitch anyway? It spun to all directions. In the first pitch it was clockwise and in the second, counterclockwise. This was getting ridiculous. Rather than the game, he was interested in the battery. Sawamura Eirin and Yamato Takeshi, they were an interesting pair. The female southpaw, he was definitely determined to hit her throw._

 _Furuya dug his shoes unto the ground while Eirin raised her right leg forward, winding up and—_

 _Clang!_

" _Eirin!"_

"It healed? I thought the doctor said—"

The female pitcher shook her head, "I'm not a southpaw anymore. My left arm is useless when it comes to pitching. It's better than the last time it was though."

"Ohh,"

" _Hey, Satoru, do you want me to catch your pitches?" Yamato smiled while the other male sat on the swing, silently. They were hanging out in the playground because Eirin went back to Nagano for her surgery. Ojou Academy was on a trip so only she was allowed to go back. Yamato on the other hand, didn't have any other choice but to stay in Hokkaido. It was also what the female pitcher insisted._

" _I thought you only catch Eirin's pitches,"_

 _The raven sadly smiled at his statement, "Of course not, I also catch for other pitchers but yes, it's mostly Ei-chan. She's amazing when it comes to baseball you know. But she's bad at batting, I guess."_

" _I'm sorry…"_

" _It's alright, it was my mistake. I made the wrong call,"_

Eirin blinked when she saw the crestfallen expression on Furuya's face, "Don't worry about it, that was years ago! Even if I can't pitch using my left arm, I still have the other. And don't expect me to give the ace position to you just because I'm female! Just you wait and see! I'm definitely going to be number one!" he stared at her with a small smile on his face though it was not entirely visible. She surely was unpredictable.

"That's why Satoru you better be prepared!"

* * *

"The first years are losing very badly. No one even has the determination to fight anymore," one of the third year's second string players commented from the dugout which was just located on the other side of the field, opposite to the younger students'. The score board showed the numbers '12:0', the game in favor of the seniors. "The regulars are not even holding back either. Tanba-san looks more energetic than usual," he continued.

One of the first years twitched when he saw the opposing team score a run again. Kuramochi was grinning openly while Miyuki who was on his position gave a thumb's up to his teammates. The freshmen were getting dragged around and it wasn't even funny anymore. They needed to come up with a plan or they would remain scoreless on the board. Even the previous aces of junior high schools didn't stand a chance when it was Masuko who was batting.

"Hey, don't you think that we're in a bad shape? We're getting defeated Furuya!" Eirin elbowed the other when she saw him dozing off asleep. With that Furuya immediately came to his senses only to find the girl standing up and exclaiming whatever he has no idea about, "Boss! Pitcher change! Sawamura Eirin! Let Sawamura Eirin pitch!" The male pitcher was really tired of the ruckus and just wanted to sleep. He figured that he'll just wake up when it was his time to pitch already-

"Sawamura— "

"Yes! Finally it's my turn!"

"Right field!"

"Of course, leave it to me boss! I won't let your expectations on me down—wait, what!?"

"Over there," the coach pointed to the spot where she was supposed to be located.

The girl huffed and looked a bit displeased but walked to her position anyway. It was better than being in the dugout, she guesses. Why was she in the outfield anyway? They didn't say a word about her being a pitcher. She was such an idiot to think that that sunglasses guy was a good person. Shouldn't they like, depend on her during moments like these? And what about data? They needed data on her right so they'd let her play right? She swears to kami that Furuya must be laughing at her right now behind that emotionless mask of his.

"Dammit! Satoru, stop laughing!" she exclaimed towards their dugout's direction, directed at the student from Hokkaido who was now sitting upright.

" _How can you tell!?"_ at least most of everyone in the fence questioned.

"Hey! The ball is coming, snap out of it!"

"Gah! It's right in front of me!" Eirin shouted trying to reach for it and extended her limbs as much as she could.

"Numb skull! It's right behind you! It's not a softball! For a hardball you have to go further than you would expect —What are you doing!? Get the ball to the third! The batter is still running!"

The female pitcher groaned and picked up the ball she dropped before getting unto position and threw the ball with a massive blush on her face. The ball was swift and fast like a laser. It passed the runner but her control sucked so it went back and hit him on the back. The victim screamed and everyone had their mouths open and eyes wide. Who would have thought that the White Knight's ace had a weakness? Wait till they find out about her batting skills, they'd be even more shocked. Now that you mention it, she didn't really play outfield in their games and she didn't bat that much because they usually finished matches fast and she was rarely ousted so it must have been a slap to reality for them.

"Sawamura-chan, that pitch was bad!"

"Shut up! Focus on your own task, Miyuki Kazuya!"

Must he really rile her up? And Sawamura- _chan?_

"Pitcher change! Furuya Satoru!" her eyes widen at the sudden exclaim while the other players in the fence muttered and continued to wonder what kind of pitch he had.

She watched him position himself on the mound, kicking the soil on his feet before he started his wind up. The only female player in the first year's dugout winced, knowing what was coming. She then smirked knowing that the catcher and the batter won't know what would eventually hit them. The third year batter watched carefully as Furuya raised his leg, shifting his weight to the other and—

Eirin sighed, "I bet that catcher's helmet is going to fall off."

 _Clang!_

—there comes his 150 km/h fast ball.

" _Kami, that's even faster than I remember,"_ the female muttered to herself as she watched the catcher groan and put his helmet back on. In front of him stood the batter who looked a bit terrified, it was different seeing it up so close. Right when the ball was released, they sensed that it would go low but it got lifted up in a whirlwind. Other than that… "Boss! Furuya how dare you!" she shouted from her position on the outfield. The current pitcher on the other hand, looked as composed like usual while the audience seemed to gasp at the situation. He just hit the coach's head! How? And why does the coach look fine!?

"You passed Satoru," the girl groaned, she knew where this was going.

"Be at the first string's team practice starting tomorrow,"

The regulars seemed to look at Furuya at that moment with both positive and negative looks. The other first years looked baffled. It was kind of shocking to see a first year get drafted into the first string and they were just in their first week in school. Eirin frowned. It was unfair that only he got to pitch. What about her and the others? How come she's still on the outfield!?

Furuya nodded, "I wanted to pitch more but this way I'll get to team up with my senior, Miyuki."

"Damn you, Satoru!"

Miyuki who was staring at the scene smirked. They definitely had a bunch of interesting first years this year. To think that Furuya would start practicing with them after only one pitch, the coach must have seen his incredible potential. He wouldn't let anyone hit his throw? It turns out that's what exactly happened. Eirin who was standing outside of the diamond scowled and crossed her arms. She was obviously upset but would she just stop with her physical innuendos? Kami, is she clueless or what? She huffed and kicked the soil below her feet muttering something about 'Stupid boss not letting me pitch' and 'Satoru thinking that he's so high and mighty'.

"From Yoko Junior High in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kominato Haruichi," Rei announced while the said student went on his position, the pitcher was obviously pitching on the outside.

A batting average of .635 in junior high… now this was going to be something.

The pitcher nodded to the catcher before starting with his wind up and—

"Going for an outside pitch for an unknown opponent, there's no easier pitch to hit than this one,"

The bat made contact with the ball and those in the dugout gritted their teeth as the female pitcher started running before everyone knew it. It was the fourth inning and the catcher grinned when he saw Eirin on the base. She was definitely the epitome of reckless. From her unique pitching form to how she went on the base… Miyuki could only sigh. Can he even keep up with her energy when she becomes a first string member?

"Safe!" the umpire, Coach Kataoka called.

"Finally! A freshman got a run!"

"The hitter was great but the runner who went for the run was also something!"

The catcher scoffed. That girl, her timing was definitely an out. She went to tag her but she dodged his mitt and twisted her body at the very last second and reached the base. He narrowed his eyes when he saw her jumping up and down, proclaiming their first run. Could she really twist her body like that? If that was done wrong then she could injure her shoulders and her back and her entire baseball career would be over.

"All we got was one run! The game is just starting. Get ready to step it up!"

"Y-Yeah!"

One of audience who was watching blinked at the scene, "Hey, what was her name again? That girl, she came out of nowhere and stirred the third years single handedly."

"Kataoka mentioned her name earlier. What was it again? Sa, Sa… Sawada?"

"Doesn't she look familiar?"

An older male blinked before he pointed unto the fence, "W-Wait… isn't she?"

The coach stared at the girl for a second, "Pitcher change, Sawamura Eirin!"

Eirin's eyes widened before she grinned.

"Yes, boss!"

With that, Furuya's posture on the bench straightened and Miyuki from the sidelines smirked.


	3. You're Always Worth It

**Seraphic Charm**

 **Summary:** _She's was an elite that seems to attract a lot of strangers. First danger then Seido's assistant coach, lots and lots of players, her school's rival team's ace but what about Koshien? Fem!Sawamura._

 **Pairing:** Undecided.

 **Warnings:** _Alternate universe, OOC, canon similarities, unbelievable pitches, Fem!Sawamura and lots of_ cliché scenes.

 **A/N:** Three months and no update, I'm such a failure. Go ahead and scold me guys. I have no excuse as usual. Well we had exams but that doesn't really count because I didn't study or anything. I promise something though. I'd be updating at least once every two weeks. If that doesn't work then I'll be posting once every month at the most. I'd be very diligent this time. I know that some promises are empty but believe me I never break promises because that's my way of being a ninja— /gets slapped. Okay.

 **XxDarkCrimson97xX - "Awesome. New chapter. I want MiyuSawa please. I am curious about her injury since it has to do with Furuya and Yamato. Please update soon. Question: Will she ever play with her left hand? Did Seido know about her injury? Also, she's famous. Won't there be some reporters following her? I'm curious."**

 _Will she ever play with her left hand? Well, hmm… yes she will be able to play with it but not for a long time. She'll be using that as a weapon to prove something to Chris. Her whole injury history will be revealed in this chapter. And Seido does know about her injury. They'll know about it in this chapter. And reporters? Well not yet. The word still hasn't gotten out from Seido. Only some of the scouts know that she's in Tokyo but well in the next chapter perhaps that'll happen._

 **Naliyu - "Please update soon. I'm really curious on what is going to happen. I didn't expect furuya to be the one who caused it. So she's a right hander now? She won't be able to glare at the first base anymore. Sad"**

 _Yes, yes, Furuya is the one who caused it and everything is revealed in this chapter. Is she right handed now? Well she's ambidextrous which means she uses both hands. How did she become ambidextrous though? She trained herself. It's also in this chapter. And don't worry. Sawamura is still Sawamura, she'd be able to glare at first base._

 **Guest - "When is Chris going to appear? Is her injury going to affect him or..."**

 _Ahh, good question. When is Chris going to appear? Well basically now, in this chapter. And yes her injury is going to affect him. It'll make them closer and have better relations._

 **KokoroJuuden - "Hey, hi, i just wanted to tell you that your story is awesome! A little question for the next chapter though. Does Eirin's injury affect Furuya in any way?"**

 _Yes it does, her injury affects Furuya the most. This chapter shows Furuya being all regretful and worried about her. He's also kind of in guilt because he's the one who caused it. It won't affect their rivalry though. Eirin would punch him in the face if it did._

 **SaphiaSkyress9623 - "I really want to see if Ojou will take her back. And I have noticed that Eirin haven't declared that she will be the ace. Is that a coincidence or something you've purposely written?"**

 _I can't reveal anything about whether Ojou's going to take her back or not. It would be revealed in the future chapters. And yes, Eirin still haven't declared that she's going to be the ace. It's not a coincidence. Why she still haven't asked? In the next chapter you'll find out XD_

So yeah, that would be all! **Furuya is kind of OOC in this one** and if you don't know what OOC means, it means out of character. It's because of something though. It's kind of reasonable why he's acting like this… I think. Anyway! Eirin is going to end up with Miyuki so yeah, that's all I wanted to say. Ciao~!

And forgive the grammar mistakes, I tried to proof read this but it I missed a few please inform me and I'll edit it as soon as possible.

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Diamond No Ace or any of its characters. This story is purely fan made and no profit has been made._

 **Chapter Three: You're Always Worth It**

Eirin grinned as she marched towards the mound. It was in the middle of the fourth inning when she was finally allowed to pitch after playing outfield, a position which in her whole life she had never played before. The female pitcher glanced at the first year catcher, a couple of meters away from her who seemed to be hesitant on his call. It seemed like he knew who she was along with a couple of people in the audience outside of the fence. The individuals around them started to mutter and whisper to each other that Eirin couldn't help but frown when they got too loud and it reached her position. She could even feel the stares she was getting from the regulars and most especially from the prodigal bastard of a tanuki, Miyuki Kazuya. She even bets her entire collection of Samurai pins that he was grinning right now.

"What in the world is Sawamura Eirin doing here?"

"Do the other schools know? Man, Yakushi is going to be in deep trouble,"

"I bet Inashiro won't even know what'll hit them. She was the MVP Pitcher of the whole Junior High Baseball league in our nation! How did Seido get a hold of her?"

The catcher's expression seemed shaken up with fear and anxiousness. He looked up to her catcher, Yamato Takeshi, for he was a role model to those who admired to be well in such position. To be able to catch the pitch of the person he formed a battery with is unbelievable. The male positioned his mitt up and out in the open. He pulled his hand back and forth before looking at the girl's expression. Yep, that was definitely calling for a change up and by the look on her face she definitely got what he meant.

Miyuki whistled low from the sidelines, looking amused, "Well that catcher sure is brave. I wonder how he's going to receive such throw from her though. My arm almost fell off last time I received her pitch."

Kuramochi who was near him raised a brow before turning his attention back to the field, "She's a girl Miyuki. Even if she is a prodigy, there's no way in hell that she's— "

 _Clang!_

The catcher was on the ground, his posture already broken by the ball that threw him off balance with his mitt still in the air. The third year batter and the umpire also looked stunned. The referee took a couple of seconds before recovering and called a foul. The audience also looked baffled. Some were already talking about what they saw. The scouts were taking notes and pictures, most especially observing her. Eirin huffed and kicked the soil underneath her feet.

"Slow, still too damn slow," Miyuki didn't know what that meant but all he knew was that she was not satisfied with how she pitched.

Before they knew it, she had already scored two runs from them and everyone in the first year dug out was cheering for her. Though the third years led by more than a five point margin, they looked pretty frustrated. What was up with her? That throw, that pitching style. They've never seen anything like it before. But pretty much Rei and Kataoka expected her to raise the freshmen's spirits, which she did. Now they don't look as dead anymore. The assistant coach sighed out of relief.

The female pitcher couldn't help but somehow gap when Masuko took the batter's box.

Kuramochi blinked before grinning, "Hyahahaha, that's great! Battle between the roommates. What's Masuko-san's batting average up until now?"

"At his best, three hits and five runs batted in. He's getting fired up to get back to the regular position," the fixed team pitcher replied to his question. "I'm guessing that that guy has realized Sawamura's pitching style already. We'll be able to see her true skills with this match up," with that grin of his, he almost seemed excited to see the outcome of their face off.

"Sawamura-chan," her roommate and upperclassman started off with a pretty serious tone.

"I'll definitely get into the regular's position. Come at me with your best!"

Almost looking amazed, Eirin immediately answered, "H-Hai!"

When Kataoka crossed his arms from the bench, it was as if automatically everyone went unto their position.

 _Bam!_

Another miss.

"You must be kidding me. The catcher missed a straight head on ball?"

"W-What?"

"Maybe a sign difference, did the ball curve?"

"S-Sorry!" the first year catcher immediately picked up the ball that rolled to his side. Eirin grinned at him showing a peace sign and he slightly blushed at the sight making Miyuki raise an eyebrow from the fence. Kataoka and Masuko on the other hand, looked focused on analyzing her pitch. The third year batter held the bat short before practicing a couple of swings to adjust.

"H-He's holding the bat short and moved to the front of the batter box!?"

"It was a ball so fast that he had to shorten his grip?"

Miyuki smiled, _"As I thought, Masuko-senpai realized the characteristics of Sawamura's pitch."_ Shortening the swing and hitting the ball before it moves, huh? Eirin grinned once more before starting off her wind up. Yes, it was this feeling of tension. She just couldn't get enough.

Cat-like eyes flashed before the throw was made and Masuko somehow flinched before hitting the ball.

 _Clang!_

"Foul," everyone grimaced at the call. The ball was hit pretty far but still… She looked pretty shocked herself. Her pitchers were hit a couple of times before but never that far. The female pitcher wiped the sweat off of her forehead. This was getting exciting.

"Oi! Catcher-san, be sure to catch what I'm going to pitch next," she pointed unto him with her left hand while flexing her right. "Keep your eyes wide and never blink, got that?" her voice was rather loud and he couldn't help but nervously agree. When everything was assured, Eirin grinned before getting into position. Her upperclassman also waited for her to throw.

 _Clang!_

"I told you not to blink didn't I!?"

Miyuki grinned, "Did she just cross fire a first year catcher?"

But Kuramochi was already laughing.

* * *

The sky was tinted in marmalade and the match between the third and the first years just ended a couple of minutes ago. The audience and a couple of reporters who watched the match were already heading out of the school with scouts, especially excited about Seido's new prodigal pitcher. If you looked closely inside the fence, you would be able to see the score board with the numbers four and fourteen flashed on total ends. Who would have thought that the expected MVP pitcher ace would go to Seido and cause a storm? Sooner or later, other schools would definitely know.

"Kami, have you seen their line up? It was amazing even though the third years flattened the first years in the end. Kominato, Furuya and Sawamura… damn, those three are a scary bunch for a couple of freshmen,"

"Yeah, that… Furuya kid is kind of good, isn't he? He just threw one pitch and he's already going to practice with the first string members. He just might become Seido's savior since they have such weakness in pitching. They can't just rely on Tanba every single time, can they?"

"Haha, if that doesn't happen then they're definitely in deep trouble. They've been getting further and further from Koshien these fast five years,"

"Well, let's see about that. That pitcher named Sawamura, even though she let in a lot of runs, she pitched till the very end. I wonder how a former White Knight would fit into Seido's team since her last school was a fortified winner in the nationals. Let's also not forget that she was expected to be the ace,"

One of the scouts chuckled, "She never gives up, does she? I don't hate the pitchers of that kind."

On the other hand, back at the Greenhorn dorm, a certain someone was kind of troubled. Kuramochi smirked as he looked at the text that flashed on the screen. It was from Eirin's friend, Sanada, and the female pitcher was insistent that she read the text in private because he would definitely tell the other members of the club that she was texting some random guy. Though that was what she wanted, her damned Kuramochi-senpai wouldn't let her have her phone as he read her text out loud for everyone to hear.

 **[05:39 P.M., March 22, 2016] [SANADA SHUNPEI]  
** -How was it? Did you pitch well today? **  
**What was the score anyway? It can't be that bad since you were with the other first year students, right? Ahh, I bet everyone was startled when they saw who you were. Seido is a very strong school so you better do your best or they'll improve too fast for you to keep up, Ei-chan.  
Everyone in my team is looking forward and aiming for Koshien as well, we'll be training non-stop this whole summer. I'll still be cheering for you even if were on different teams so just keep moving on forward and let's play against each other next time. Don't overwork yourself okay! Take breaks in between your practices if possible.

Kuramochi's eyes almost popped out of their socket, "S-Sanada!? Who in the world are you texting, Bakamura! He's from a rival school! How did you get his number anyway? Are you feeding him our team's secret information or something? Rei-san and the coach are going to kill you!" With that, he grabbed and locked her in his infamous arm lock. The scene was seen a couple of times yesterday during their golf game night with the short stop losing to the girl every single time. Masuko on the other hand, picked up the fallen phone on the floor and watched them argue from the corner of the room. Really, what did he do that he deserved such rowdy roommates? Not that he was complaining though. It was kind of fun.

"H-He's just a friend, senpai!" Yep, he was choking her so hard that the last thing she wanted him to do was to tighten his grip around her. Ever since she arrived in the dorm, he had been telling her to respect him because he was her upperclassman. Obviously, Eirin, with her brash personality forgot about that sometimes. Not when she's being crushed by a wrestling move that her senpai learned though. She valued her life too much so not today. He can just choke her to death after she goes to Koshien because by then, she'd have no regrets whatsoever.

"Yeah, a 'friend'! A friend from a rival school! He's Sanada Shunpei!"

"He doesn't even play baseball!" But it definitely was the topic of their conversations for most of the time. And she didn't really ask which school he went to or where he lived. Baseball was far more important so she lost attention.

"Bakamura! You're such an idiot! He's the ace of the freaking Yakushi team, you dimwit! They're always in the top three!" Well it wasn't like Kuramochi was lying or anything, it was true. Sanada Shunpei was a second year student in Yakushi High. Moreover, he was the ace of the baseball team. The female pitcher stopped struggling for a second before becoming quiet and reflecting. Now that you mention it, he kept mentioning for them to meet on the mound as rivals someday. Now wasn't that hinting something?

At that, Eirin blinked, "What… Ehh?"

"The guy you've been texting! He's from Yakushi!" Kuramochi exclaimed as he released her from his hold. Eirin looked confused and puzzled at the sudden announcement. She honestly was shocked and amazed at the same time. I mean, she met him on the train because his cousin was lost. Who would have thought that the guy she encountered was actually a big shot of a baseball boss- "And Yakushi is known to be rivals with Seido! They've been blocking our way to Koshien for years!" he gave her a chop on the top of her head, only hard enough for her to snap out of her thoughts.

"So he was an enemy all this time!?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you since earlier! Bakamura!"

* * *

"Listen up! There's still two months until the summer tournament. We can't be training aimlessly these coming days. Day after day, you have to put your lives on the line to achieve your goals! As long as you have high spirits, your training for the days ahead will never falter!" the coach looked as stoic as ever despite the passionate words he exclaimed. The assistant coach along with the managers stood behind him while the members were lined up in strings in front of him like soldiers.

"Yes sir!"

Before the lineup, Haruichi had trouble convincing Eirin to join because she was already ahead on the field, running with tires. He had no idea when it started or how it did but he knew that it was out of determination and perseverance. If not, then it was probably something she picked up or heard somewhere. Perhaps the second one made more sense. Yep, it was definitely more like Eirin. One thing he had learned on the other hand was that the female pitcher was terrifying when she was in full concentration mode. He had trouble catching up with her and it took him a lot of time for his words to actually get through noticed.

Eirin scratched her nape which has been itching for a while, "Haruchii, they won't stop staring at us." The younger Kominato sweat dropped as the girl muttered things about 'Boss, treating us like military soldiers', 'Why do we have to stand still and not move' and a couple of 'Damn it, my face itches already'. But that wasn't the main case, people from outside the fence has been staring at them… _again._

Perhaps it was Eirin's popularity and mysterious charisma that she stood out. Not to mention, she was the only girl lining up with almost half a hundred boys behind her. Or was it her elevator height? Well her height didn't really matter because the other members were also tall. It must be due to her standing next to Haruichi because he definitely did stand out because of his hair color which was brightest color among the bunch. Pushing those aside, people have been watching her for weeks or in Eirin's case she calls 'Haruichi and I' because they've been together all the time since she realized that the batter was so shy to make friends.

"E-Ei-chan, I think that it's only you," Haruichi was thankful that his fringe covered his eyes or he might have turned blind to all those camera flashes from behind the fence. There were about seven to ten reporters who were taking dozens of photos per second and he wasn't even exaggerating. "I-I think you should talk to them. They've been trying to have a word with you since Monday," he continued when their line was dismissed and everyone went to their places. In their case, they were running with their fellow second stringers.

"Do you think so Haruchii? Okay, I'll talk to them later then," Eirin seemed to be convinced with everything that the younger Kominato said. Haruiichi simply nodded and they both went in front of the group with Eirin grinning as she ran. "But I'm going to kick their asses if they don't stop because they've been freaking annoying," she added on, noticing the glances she received whenever she passed their side of the fence.

"T-That's going too far, Ei-chan,"

"With all the new first years, we have a total of ninety three members. Do you think that we'll be able to reach Koshien this year?" Coach Kataoka asked the Headmaster and other teachers who went to observe the club practice. "Our goal has been the same; to conquer the nation," if it wasn't for his unchanging expression, one wouldn't be able to believe that the same person said those words. Rei who was standing beside him nodded and pushed her glasses up. She was confident that she scouted a couple of capable players this year.

"My, my… But in these five years, Koshien has always been a goal far from our reach. I just don't think our team would be able to make such uproar at the nationals," one of the school staff commented while wiping his sweat off which was due to nervousness upon being next to the coach. "We lack in a lot of aspects and there's also Yakushi and Inashiro on the way," he continued even though intimidated but still honest.

"There's no need to worry about," Kataoka stated as his attention turned to the regulars who were practicing in medleys. "The abilities of the athletes here far exceed those of last year's four best teams. Our iron wall defense is something to brag about," the assistant coaches were amazed at the show the regulars put up. They looked like professionals. They even moved and played their positions like veterans.

"First off, Kuramochi, second year. Position, short stop,"

"Second baseman, Kominato, third year,"

"Third, there's the strong throwing arm of our center field, Isashiki, third year,"

"The steadfast player fixated on playing number four, the first string captain, Yuuki, third year,"

"The one who hit the ball over the fence, a returned regular, the super heavyweight third baseman number five, Masuko, third year,"

"Lastly, the one who became the pivotal part of the team, number six, catcher, Miyuki, second year,"

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaa! Miyuki-senpai!" the girls from outside the fence called and he grinned from afar. "You're looking fine as always!" they rambled onwards, earning a couple of looks from the new members who were still not used to his popularity. Most of his audience were female, mostly admirers who had their phones out and were snapping dozens of photos. The regulars shrugged it off, used of it already while Eirin raised a brow and Haruichi laughed awkwardly.

"There are no fixed members for the left and right field. These are the players that will be known and feared throughout the nation," Kataoka commented and the two who were with him laughed a bit while looking at each other. Well now, wasn't that amusing? Especially since their school didn't have a star pitcher now.

"But the former ace pitcher, Tanba-kun is nowhere into regaining his sharpness," with that, the coach remained quiet and merely observed the said player who was pitching into the net. "What will you do about him? He's the pitcher that you brought here yourself. Now there are pitchers who can be used in different ways," he added with his nose stuck in the air and Kataoka couldn't help but turn to his direction with his eyebrows ever so slightly knitted.

The person twitched in his place and took a step back, intimidated by the coach's expression. "I-I'm not the only one with this opinion. Even though we are a school with a long baseball tradition, there are people outside the school nagging at us. In fact, there are people all over the place who doubt your coaching abilities." For a second, the coach seemed a bit astonished at his last remark while the other teacher tried to laugh his colleague's remark off to calm him down.

"Y-You're just one step away from leading the school to national domination. Besides, you turned down the invitation to go professional in order to return to your former school as a coach. We appreciate the sacrifice that you've made for us,"

"I just wanted to return the favor to my Alma matter. That is why whatever responsibilities I have I will see them to the end. The next time you are on the field, please refrain from talking about irrelevant matters," the two grimaced at his terrifying intensity. "I will now take my leave," the coach started to walk towards the players, leaving the two dumbfounded and scared half to death. Well at the very least they learned a valuable lesson, to never piss off Coach Kataoka.

"Does that person understand anything at all? If there aren't any good results this year, he will be fired," one of the pair muttered under his breath only loud enough for those near him to hear.

"I highly doubt that would happen," they turned around to see Rei with the most assured expression they have seen. "If you look closely on the field, there's someone who definitely stands out. She's from Nagano's elite private school, Ojou Academy with their team the White Knights. They've been known to be the reigning team of Koshien, yes?" the two immediately scanned the field and their eyes landed on the girl who was running ahead of the second string group, racing with Furuya.

"S-Sawamura Eirin!?"

"But she's a girl!"

Rei smirked and her glasses flashed, "If I were you, I wouldn't say anything about her gender."

"She doesn't like being underestimated,"

" _ **First years Furuya and Sawamura are to gather at the bench as soon as possible,"**_

" _ **First years Furuya and Sawamura are to gather at the bench as soon as possible,"**_

" _ **First years Furuya and Sawamura are to gath-"**_

"We get it already, mou!" the female pitcher huffed and walked towards the dugout where Miyuki, Coach Kataoka and Rei who had followed just seconds ago were. Furuya silently trailed behind her, making sure that there was a meter of distance between the two of them because apparently, Eirin hasn't changed since their last meeting and she's still as loud and obnoxious as ever. He wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing but one thing was for sure, he was going to play it safe. The girl was muttering something under her breath seconds ago before her eyes landed on the gathered bunch.

"What is it?"

Rei smirked and Miyuki who was behind her grinned as usual, "From now on, you two will be getting a pitcher's practice menu. The amount of practice you will be getting will be twice as much as everyone else so good luck." At that, Eirin's eyes widened along with Furuya's. She was about to say something when the assistant coach continued speaking, "Furuya-kun, since you might be a starter for the Kantou tournament next week you will have to confirm the signs with Miyuki-kun."

"Yes, maam,"

"Wait a second, pitcher's practice menu, what does that mean —"

"Rei-chan, that guy already has perfect control in his pitches. We just have to increase his stamina by making him throw a hundred of balls a day," it was Miyuki who cut her off to continue the topic regarding the other pitcher's case. "And he's running now anyway, we'll just have to make sure that he'll last a full inning," he added on as if it was a challenge. Eirin scoffed and Furuya narrowed his eyes, it was as if Miyuki was looking down on the first years with that grin on his face.

"My, well Furuya-kun, do you accept the proposal?" the female pitcher was looking back and forth from the pair. Seriously, wasn't anyone going to explain things before they get decided? Aren't there orientations about stuff? What was she doing here anyway?

"I will accept Miyuki-senpai's directions," Furuya started and she raised her brow, he wasn't really the obedient type before. He hasn't heard it in a while, the sound of his pitch in a catcher's mitt. The last one who caught his throw in full power was Yamato and now there was Miyuki, he wasn't going to pass this chance. It wasn't a mistake to choose this school. "Please take care of me," he slightly bowed his head and Eirin gapped with the catcher in the background smiling. Wasn't this bad news? If Miyuki was going to be teaching Furuya then who was going to instruct her?

"Sawamura-san is with the third year, Chris-kun. Face reading and preparing for the mound is what he's going to teach you," at that, the third year stepped forward. Eirin didn't even hesitate to waste a second before complaining.

"Hold on! That's unfair! I also want Miyuki-senpai!" Of course she wanted someone from the first string to catch for her despite her slight displease towards the player. What better way was there to improve? Chris simply stared as she continued on why she should be with Miyuki. Reimshook her head and told her to get to know her new instructor before she walked away to be followed by Miyuki and Furuya who were headed to the bullpen.

"Why," Eirin gritted her teeth before accepting the handshake that the catcher offered. His grip on her hand tightened and she slightly winced. There was definitely a difference in strength between the two of them. "I wanted to be with that stupid tanuki. Why does Furuya —" she muttered under her breath, not noticing that it was loud enough for the one if front of her to hear.

"I also want to be with the other pitcher. I hope we get along," her eyes widened and she looked up to face him. She almost took a step back, the guy was taller and stronger than her and those eyes… they were dim and lifeless. He was so intimidating that her hands were shaking. "Nice to meet you, clumsy pitcher," Chris was looking down on her and she could tell.

He was one of those guys she hated the most.

* * *

 _Clang!_

"First base!"

"Furuya, catch!"

The pitcher raised his mitt but before he knew it, everyone was looking at him dumbfounded because it was such a simple throw and the ball was rolling away. "Ah, don't mind, don't mind," he said to his co-players and one by one they exclaimed remarks towards him such as 'What do you mean, don't mind!?' He was getting scolded by a fellow first year but he just nodded with his deafness to comments not even slightly obvious. Well that was a great strategy.

"Haha, what a guy. He throws a nasty pitch but is rather poor at defense," one of the third years said and Ryousuke smiled that dangerous smile of his.

"You're too focused on stepping on first base. If you're not covering parallel to the line, your legs will get cut by the runner. Once the ball is pitched, you are an additional infielder. Do not forget this," the former ace Tanba stated and the pitcher nodded, taking in his advice. Kuramochi and the other third years grinned at the scene while Eirin was pouting from afar while doing her stretches.

"Your face says that you envy him. You want to be there with them soon, don't you?"

"Say, how much more time are we going to waste stretching!? It's been thirty minutes already! It has been a long time since we got into the bullpen! Let me pitch!" their pair has only been assigned yesterday and they were already on bad terms, not that both of them minded. "What are you taking notes for!? Seriously, this guy," she gritted her teeth when he turned around and started to scribble on his memo. Kami, what the heck was wrong with her partner? His voice was so soft that he could barely even hear him.

"You've got flexible joints on your wrists, shoulders and elbows. Your fingers are also long and slender, that adds to the character of a good pitcher," If there were things that worked against her, they were compliments. For a second, she forgot her hatred and inched forward to hear him better. "However, you won't be the ace in the future," well that was a first. Eirin frowned and crossed her arms above her chest, no one had ever said that to her before. And shouldn't he be supporting her? Not bring her confidence down!? Because what he was doing right now, it was the complete opposite!

"During the match between the third years and the first years, you choose to ignore the catcher's signs and went ahead with your own pitches. Do you take us catchers as your pitching target?"

Eirin's eyes narrowed at his remark, "No, I pitched differently because he obviously couldn't take a curve with how confident he was. I pitched straight so he can catch it and not drop it like he did on the first throw. Seriously, I would have thrown a curve if it was Yamato catching but no, he's not him—"

"Seido is not the same as Ojou Academy. And this is high school, you won't be able to catch up to the regulars with that attitude nor become the ace. If only it was your body structure that puts you in a disadvantage but no, you also lack resolve and you're hardheaded, you won't stand a chance,"

The female pitcher gasped and exclaimed, "Who said anything about being an ace?" Everyone in the field turned their head to the scene. Almost instantly, everyone became quiet and observed, letting Eirin speak. "Look, I'm not here because I want to, it was my last resort. And don't even tell me that I lack resolve when you haven't even caught my pitch yet," Miyuki whistled when he saw her walk away from Chris and join Haruichi on the field.

"Ei-chan, are you okay? Just don't take Chris-senpai's words to heart, okay? We know you can do better," Haruichi along with Furuya were probably the only ones in the team who didn't take her gender as an issue. They have played with her before so obviously, they would know. "A-And, give him a chance sometimes. I know that he's trying to help you," he tried his best to remain neutral and she only nodded at him, staring at Furuya who was pitching to Miyuki. Kami, she missed pitching to Takeshi. At least, he was a catcher that took her talent into key.

It was sundown when the team manager, Haruno approached her with muffled breaths, "Chris-senpai told me to give you this. He said something about your training menu and that you should do this today." She almost scoffed at the name as she took the scroll from the girl's hands. "I know that he's slightly hard on you but I'm sure you can do it!" she clapped her hands together and smiled at Eirin who gave her thanks.

"Sawamura-san," someone called her from afar, it was the assistant coach Rei.

"Rei-san," she whispered under her breath and wondered what she was going on here.

"Can you come with me for a second?"

Eirin looked at Haruno who nodded at her and waved goodbye. The female catcher then went towards the older woman and asked, "Is there something wrong, Rei-san?" she was being led to the school gates where a car was waiting. Looking at Rei, she didn't react when the door was opened by the assistant coach. "Where are you taking me to?" she didn't take a step into the car and simply waited for an answer. She has been in this situation too many times already. Perhaps she was going to escort her back to the train station to go home or something else which she has no clue about.

"You'll be talking to Chris," it wasn't a request. It was a command from the assistant coach. Eirin hesitantly nodded and stepped into the car which was shut by the woman who followed inside. "You two have a lot of things to sort out," she crossed her legs and sighed at their situation when the car took off. The girl remained silent but if you looked closely, you could see how her eyes slightly widened. Why would they need to ride a car if Chris-senpai lived in the dormitory? Nevertheless, she just followed her orders.

"In middle school, the only team Miyuki lost against was led by Chris. His father is active in the professional baseball scene so we hoped that with his extensive baseball knowledge, he would be able to lead the team into victory," Eirin at first didn't seem affected by what she heard. She had met many people with the same circumstance, it was not just him. "But the expectations of the people around him seemed to form an invisible pressure. He repeatedly hid his shoulder injury and played in games. Although injuries are something every sportsman has to deal with… us trainers did not realize before it became too serious," the car halted in front of the building and Eirin frowned when realized that they had to enter.

The female pitcher followed Rei inside and they halted in front of a door which was half open.

"He tore a shoulder and wrist tissue. Just before the summer tournament, he was diagnosed and informed that he would need to take a year off for rehabilitation," Eirin watched in awe and her heart pounded loudly against her chest as Chris' father barked commands everywhere. "In a large team such as Seido's, leaving the team for a year is as good as announcing one's retirement but Coach Kataoka always asked Chris to stay in the position of manager to guide the team," the student could not tear her eyes away from the scene.

"As long as a single strand of hope remains, he will never give up on baseball," Rei added on and glanced at Eirin who became silent since she has seen his situation. "Coach Kataoka thought that you two would make a good battery because you'd be able to understand each other," the assistant coach pushed her glasses upwards. They have been digging into her history as they do to each member of the club. It was just a coincidence, really, but the coach decided that it was time to fix everything and bring light to each side.

"Right, Sawamura?"

 _Eirin could still remember how much she screamed and cried each night due to the pain as if it was just yesterday. She was heavily clutching her left arm, not being able to put force on her shoulder which was also in what she felt like torture. It was as if half of her body was paralyzed. They were sitting inside her hospital room a week after her surgery when the added anesthesia went off and everything came to her like blazing fire. Even Furuya was there. Even he looked worried and apologetic. Yamato patted her on the back worriedly and gently pulled her right arm away from the other because it had the IV line attached to it._

 _She was only thirteen, a first year in junior high, when she had a grade three bicep tear and a shoulder joint tear only because the ball went unto the wrong direction and she wasn't able to dodge it. If only she remained standing after she was hit then her injury could've been lessened but her fall was pretty nasty. She lost her balance and her left arm slid on the mound resulting to a rip of muscle._

" _E-Ei-chan, calm down you're hyperventilating,"_

 _Furuya stood up from his seat with an anxious expression and asked, "Should I call the nurse?"_

Rei grinned and pushed the dazed Eirin inside the room. At first she looked shocked and glanced at the assistant manager who was smiling before noticing Chris' and his father's attention on her. "Uhh… Hi, Chris-senpai," she awkwardly smiled and rubbed the back of her neck. She wasn't really sure what to say or what to do. "Rei-san told me about what happened to you," she decided that being honest was the best way to deal with this. Kami, she was such an insensitive idiot. And why didn't even Chris-senpai say something? She was stuck up and she didn't believe anything from him all this time.

"Why didn't you say anything after being maligned by a first year like me?" her voice was soft and her head was hung low. Chris wasn't able to see what expression she was making but continuously, her words started to stun him. "Won't that make me a big idiot for not even noticing?" he could now see how water started to circle her eyes but were kept unshed.

"Sawamura…"

 _An arthroscopic surgery was made for her shoulder joint. The doctors had to reattach her tendons with wires, absorbable tacks and sutures. Her bicep tore required almost more than a dozen stiches because they had to sew the tear back. Yamato who just got back from their school trip was almost crying when he saw her lying on the hospital bed days after the incident. She looked bad. She wasn't able to move or feel her left hand. Her eyes were the same as those which Chris had, lifeless and dim._

" _I made the wrong call… forgive me Ei-chan,"_

 _Furuya who tagged along with Yamato from Hokkaido also looked like in pain when the doctor came in and gave them the news. He said that recovery for her was nearly impossible because she got injured while she was still young, her muscles were still underdeveloped. She wasn't allowed to play again. And even if it heals, just because she had a surgery and her arm and shoulder are back in shape doesn't mean that she couldn't tear them again. They become more fragile because everything is now artificial and there's a possibility that if she tears them again, everything might be over this time._

 _Eirin had to blink her tears away when she saw Furuya crying and blaming himself for the first time._

The next day, everyone went to the Kanto Preliminary matches and she remained in the dorms alone again. This time, even Furuya went because apparently, the coach wanted him to have his debut in that match. She didn't bother to come with them because she had that regime to complete anyway. It took her a while to finish everything but when she did, she took a long bath in the girl's bath in order to congratulate herself. It has only been a few days over a week since she was assigned to Chris and they weren't already talking because of what she did the last time they met.

She pouted and sank lower into the water, "Way to go, Eirin."

When she got back to her room she heard her phone ring and when she checked,

Yamato Takeshi.

The female pitcher gulped before answering the call, "H-Hello?"

" **Meet me outside Seido's gate,** _ **now**_ **,"**

* * *

Eirin tried to walk as slow as she could but the male that was standing near the gate had already spotted her. He looked the same as she remembers and he was in his Ojou uniform. She wore the same uniform a couple of months ago but she had forgotten what it felt like to carry that heavy crest on her shoulders. The symbol of the White Knights, their Alma Matter, it almost made Eirin frown because being one required great responsibility and pressure which she wasn't able to oblige. It was already sundown and there were no classes yet until next week. She could already see the female students in various clubs of Seido looking at Yamato with those adoring eyes and flattered smiles.

"You're in Tokyo," she grinned at him with her signature and acted as if they had no problems with each other at all. Well they didn't really have any problems nor have a fight, they just haven't talked to each other for such a long time and that was a first.

"You applied for Ojou's summer camp again, didn't you?" she always knew that Yamato was such a bookworm due to his parents. Study and practice was what he had been doing all his life. It was the same case last year. He even went to school during break after graduation just so that he could study in advance. Studying ahead of time would give him more time for baseball, or so he thought.

"Yeah, it's more hectic now that were in high school," he gave her a smile at the end of his sentence and she wondered what it was like for him in Ojou now that she transferred schools. Does he actually have friends that he can hang out with? Is he in a new battery? Eirin doesn't know anything. "It's kind of different. The academy, I mean, without you. It became pretty quiet and there wasn't anyone to represent the first years in the high school baseball club division," the female pitcher laughed at his remark. Yes, they were talking about that last year. They agreed that when they became high school students, Eirin would be the one to represent their year.

"Are you in a battery with anyone now?" Eirin asked and he looked at her for a second before nodding.

"Yes, yes I am,"

The female pitcher grinned and exclaimed, "Well that's great. Good for you, Takeshi."

She didn't know if it was anger or sadness that his face was showing but he definitely did not like her reply. Did he expect something else? "What about you? You're with Miyuki Kazuya, I'm sure," so it seems like he did some research regarding Seido and Eirin just assumed that he knew everything. Wasn't it always like that? Yamato was always updated when it came to his friends. "Are things even going well with you all over the place?" it was sarcasm and Eirin knew so she scoffed.

"Yeah right, Satoru is paired up with the four eyes and I messed up with the catcher I was assigned with. I'm in big trouble right now and I don't even know what to do. Kami, guys are so complicated,"

"Have you pitched these days?"

"I'm not allowed to, I have a regime to follow," he could see the pout that was on her lips and he laughed when she crossed her arms. It was true; she hasn't thrown a pitch since the game which was a week ago. "And I haven't asked Chris-senpai to catch my pitch before," so that was his name, Yamato took note of. He must have been someone really high that even Eirin, the most unpredictable pitcher in the world was shy to ask for him to catch.

Yamato grinned and ruffled her hair, "Well then, as your partner, I should make sure that your skills haven't gotten rusty these past few days. Show me to the way to the mound, _Eirin-hime_."

Eirin grinned at the honorific he was using, sure she could play this game, "Please do not heed and follow my steps, _Takeshi no kimi_."

The team won the preliminary round in Yokohama and were walking back to the field when Miyuki decided to ask, "So have you been catching Sawamura's pitches, Chris-senpai?" He was grinning playfully so it sounded like a taunt. But he's Miyuki, he's a full-fledged bastard and he himself knows.

"There were rumors with the managers that she went to see you during your rehab," Perhaps some of the players or managers saw and simply assumed or there's that possibility that Rei already told them. Honestly, no one knows how the news traveled so fast. Nevertheless, everyone turned their attention towards Chris who was sitting on the bench.

"Well Bakamura is an idiot so she obviously doesn't know anything. Just don't mind her, Chris-senpai," Kuramochi commented and assured the upperclassman. Eirin was loud and too hyper for their third year catcher and clearly, they were incompatible. "She'll realize it all in the end," he added as he stretched and placed both of his arms at the back of his neck. They were still in their uniforms after the game and everyone was tired. Even Furuya who pitched a single inning was drop dead tired. He'll have to work on his stamina training with Miyuki later on.

"W-What do you mean by that Kuramochi-senpai," the younger Kominato tried to ask in the most respectful was as possible. He just couldn't stand that they were talking things behind his friend's back, it seemed so wrong. "I-I'm sure Ei-chan doesn't mean any harm to Chris-senpai. She'll surely change!" he insisted and his brother stared at him with a smile that didn't seem positive or negative. Honestly speaking, he had no idea what that grin was about. All he knew was that it made him nervous even though they were siblings.

"Nah, it's just that Sawamura is being an idiot for not noticing Chris-senpai's efforts," the female pitcher's roommate started and the two first years turned their attention to him. "Last year, Chris-senpai injured his arm so he's not going to be able to play," he only added on when the third year was way ahead of them, afraid that he might receive a negative reaction. He really didn't want to make him recall any bad memories when his eyes were already looking grim.

Furuya blinked, "Is that why the Coach paired him up with Eirin?" Almost everyone paused on their tracks and turned to look at Furuya. Even Chris who was almost a meter ahead of the first years halted and slightly turned. Miyuki gave the pitcher a curious look before he decided to answer, "Chris-senpai and Eirin are the same. The coach must have realized that they'd be able to understand each other the best." That was a lot coming from Furuya but they seriously had no idea what he was talking about. Why was the female pitcher similar to Chris? Kami, his words were making them all confused.

"In what way are they similar — "

"Oi! You guys have to see this! Come to the field immediately!" Seido's center fielder, Isashiki Jun who went ahead the bunch along with Kawakami, Yuki, Rei and the coach called out from afar. Apparently, the baseball field had gathered a lot of attention when they were gone. It was already five so they had no idea what the ruckus was all about. "Especially Chris! Your prodigy is making a show!" at that, Chris glanced at him, a bit curious at what exactly she was doing. All he knew was that earlier, she didn't want to come with them and offered to be left behind. And his prodigy? Sawamura was _his_ prodigy?

"What is it about?"

"Just hurry up and go to the field!" Isashiki was already sprinting back to the field and the others curiously followed. They weren't exactly running. They were all walking fast except for Haruichi who got alarmed when he heard that Eirin was putting up a show. He wasn't exactly sure what show. A fight? Was she getting bullied!? What in the world was happening? Seconds later, Kuramochi also started to run along with Miyuki who just wanted to see what everything was about.

"Where's Ei-chan— "

 _Bam!_

"That curve ball doesn't curve as much before. Wedge it down between your thumb and forefinger," Yamato told Eirin who was in front of him a couple of meters away as he threw her the ball. The girl nodded before getting back into position. The two were on the mound with Eirin pitching. Coach Kataoka and Rei were near the dugout observing them along with Kawakami and Yuki. The outside of the fence was crowded with adults, mostly scouts who received the news a couple of minutes ago and students who stayed in the dorm.

"What," Miyuki almost gasped out of character when he saw who was catching for Eirin. It was Yamato and by the look of it, they have been doing this for a long time already. His hair was a mess and he already took off his uniform's jacket. It just irked him how one could be so good looking, talented and rich at the same time. "What is he doing here?" he asked to his co-members who just shrugged as they entered the fence. Haruichi followed the regulars to the dugout while Furuya stepped closer to the pair.

"Long time no see, Satoru," the catcher grinned at Furuya who was walking towards the mound.

"Long time no see my ass! Go away Satoru! Ask Miyuki Kazuya to catch for you or something! I'm not sharing the mound with you!" Eirin complained. She was definitely possessive with the field now that she's allowed to pitch. "And why are you guys here anyway?" she asked her co-pitcher, throwing occasional glances at the bench. Furuya explained that they just came back from their match and that they heard something was happening on the field which made Eirin twitch.

"What do you mean causing a scene!?" she questioned his explanation and Furuya slightly took a step backwards.

Yamato laughed at the two's antics before he continued with his own statement, "Go put your brace on already, Eirin."

"I'll be throwing with my left arm?"

"You want Chris to acknowledge you right?" Yamato said as he took off his glove because Kami, putting on braces took quite a lot of time. Unfortunately, his voice was loud enough for everyone even the coach to hear and it made the female pitcher blush. She was muttering things under her breath while Miyuki nudged Chris on the side while grinning. The injured catcher looked astonished for a second. Acknowledge? Eirin groaned as she walked towards the dugout where Yamato's things were. The two guys only followed, talking about something on their way.

It was then when Kuramochi pulled Eirin closer for a question, "Bakamura! What is Yamato doing here? You have something to do with this don't you!" The third years also looked interested on how Eirin was going to answer. The coach and Rei glanced at her direction, also expecting something.

"I don't know! He's only here because his family is in Tokyo and he just dropped by to give me something," she shook her head and opened the catcher's bag. Kuramochi in the background was almost complaining about why she was opening other people's things. "Ahh, here it is," it was a white shoulder brace and by the look of it, it was difficult to put on. Rei stood up from her seat and started to help Eirin assemble.

"Take off your shirt," the assistant coach said and the girl obliged. The third years almost had to look away when they saw Eirin only clad in that tight blue compression shirt. The pitcher slightly groaned when Rei started to attach the straps around her left shoulder.

Chris on the other hand looked a bit concerned knowing what it was like to be injured.

"Do the others know?" she silently asked the girl who shook her head in return. The assistant coach sighed because the members had to be informed one way or another. Yes, it would be better for them to be informed sooner. At least that way they could avoid accidents from repeating.

"Well, I haven't exactly told them but — " Eirin groaned when Rei tugged on the straps a little too tight. Furuya who was watching the two flinched while Yamato looked a bit nervous. "I-If it's what it takes to prove to Chris-senpai that I'm not a loser then be it!" her voice was louder than usual when she gritted her teeth for the final tug. Her former catcher doesn't even know anymore, she was such a hard headed person to advice no matter how intelligent one was.

Yamato chuckled when he saw the grim look on Furuya's face, "You'll be the one attaching the brace to her next time, Satoru." The said pitcher turned to him with a baffled face, even the other members of the club looked shocked that he had that much emotion in him. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. You've done it before right?" at that, Furuya groaned in resignation while Eirin on the other side looked like she was suffocating from the idea.

"Satoru!? He nearly killed me last time — "

"And since you're already done, let's go to the mound and pitch," Yamato patted her on the back and pushed her to walk along with Furuya who was grumbling as they went to the diamond. The male pitcher kept staring at her shoulder while she silently cursed under her breath. Her former pitcher sighed before his eyes traveled and landed on two individuals, Chris and Miyuki. The catchers didn't react and simply looked back at him seriously.

Yamato openly grinned at the two he turned his head towards Eirin innocently, "Ei-chan! Get on position already!" She was trying to push Furuya out of the mound, he also wanted to pitch to him and it was funny how much persistence he was actually showing. By then, Yamato was already on his position, crouching with his glove on. "Start with warm-up pitches, don't throw that hard," he instructed her and she nodded, stretching out her left arm.

From the dug-out, Kuramochi gritted his teeth, "That idiot! She's injured?" It was not out of worry. He was more on the baffled side. He thought that it was kind of dumb to pitch while hurt. Well, there was an ounce of worry but he was mad that she didn't even bother to tell him in the few weeks they've been together. "And that Yamato! What kind of stupid plan is this!?" he clenched and gritted his teeth. No matter how much talent one had, an injury was an injury. Chris' eyes also darkened at what seemed to be a ridiculous plan.

Everyone almost frowned when they saw Eirin starting to warm up. She was seriously going to do this?

Rei shook her head, "She somehow reminds me of you Chris." If that didn't catch the attention of the female pitcher's mentor then what would? He looked at her with an unreadable expression along with the other regulars and first years that was near.

"Selfless and brave,"

Chris' eyes slowly turned focus on Eirin who was doing exercises for her shoulder. She beamed a smile at him when she noticed his attention on her. He sighed at her antics before showing a small smile. Perhaps that was the first time he did smile in a couple of months. The girl had some sort of charm to her, the sort of charm that affects you when she smiles or laughs, the sort of charm that makes her appear so serene and almost stellar.

So stellar that is almost seemed seraphic…

"But Sawamura-san unlike you is brash and too audacious. She's not scared to sacrifice anything even when it comes down to a fifty-fifty chance. Nothing is going to bring her down. She's too forward," Rei almost seemed worried with the way her eyes looked. "It might be a great asset to the team but for an individual, risking yourself for others is not good when it becomes too much… you'll be the one getting hurt," the former catcher wasn't looking at her, his eyes were still on Eirin but he was still listening. Kuramochi and the other regulars also had their gaze fixated on her, it has only been a couple of weeks and they were already learning a lot.

"What's her injury, Rei-chan?" Miyuki couldn't help but ask when Chris became too quiet for his own sake.

"A grade three bicep and joint tear," Furuya replied behalf of the assistant coach when he finally gave up on the mound because apparently, Eirin wanted to pitch so bad and managed to convince him. "It took her quite a while to recover from that sort of injury. After the surgery when the doctor told her the news, her eyes were just like yours Chris-senpai," he added on and his upperclassman couldn't help but somehow become disturbed.

"How long did it take for her to recover?"

"A week,"

"Just a week?" Kuramochi almost seemed a bit baffled by the amount of time. It was rather fast for such a complicated injury, even Chris' impairment which was a little more unsophisticated took quite a lot of time. "As if that would happen, grade three tears take years to heal—"

"Sometimes they never heal. Eirin's didn't," Furuya almost sounded a bit mad when he cut off the short stop's statement. The way his eye brows furrowed and how he gritted his teeth in frustration, he didn't seem like the Furuya they knew at all. "When she woke up from the surgery, the first thing they tell her is that she might never play again. That she should give up because she can't throw with her left arm anymore. She looked worse during those times than you senpai," he was practically throwing his words at them as if wondering why people are so pissed off at Eirin for not being able to understand Chris.

It was stupid.

It was ignorant.

It was such a dull-witted thing to do.

" _Eirin, stop it! You're hurting yourself!" Yamato was literally shouting at her when she started to thrash around and ruin everything inside her hospital room. The monitor was somewhere near the side, flowers from her team and classmates were on the floor in petals and pieces. Those letters for her to get well were torn and that trophy was at the corner of the room all by itself, thrown and destroyed._

 _Eirin was just about to pull out her IV out when Furuya grabbed her hand and pulled her closer for a hug._

 _Yamato sighed out of relief._

 _Eirin started to cry._

"You guys think that Eirin doesn't know anything," he looked at the regulars with eyes that almost looked a bit teary but never unshed. She was his rival but she was also his friend, one of his very first and genuine ones. He knew that it was his fault and he was furious, pissed off even when she forgave him for that.

She was such an idiot.

So freaking stupid.

"One week is a very long time. Usually, she'd just brush it off and try again in a couple of minutes," he started off, everyone's attention now on him and not on Eirin who was asking Yamato about a couple of stuff she'd miss. "But for the whole time she stayed in the hospital, her eyes looked dead," when the catcher turned from his position on the mound, his eyes immediately landed on Furuya who looked a bit too serious.

"Satoru," Yamato silently whispered, knowing that the only thing that affected his friend was Eirin's injury. The female pitcher blinked before turning her eyes to where her former catcher's gaze was.

"But that's just for a week during her stay at the hospital. After that she was immediately fine, we even went to the field and she pitched at us," he wondered if he started to sound strange because his teammates were looking at him differently. "With her right arm," his eyes rose from the ground and stared unto Chris'.

"She became ambidextrous just for this. Chris-senpai, you still have both of your hands. When Eirin's on the field she can only use one with the risk of injuring the other again," Yamato smiled a bit sadly at him from afar, looking a bit proud that he would actually defend Eirin. "She's not that different from you," he sounded almost a bit sad to be Furuya who was always full or defence and hidden.

"Oi! Satoru!" Eirin called out from afar, waving her mitt in the air with the ball in the other. "What are you doing? You said you'd watch me pitch! See how much I improved over these years, princess!" it was more of a confident boast really, not something out of concern. Furuya turned to look at her with somehow wide eyes before putting his usual expression on. Yamato shook his head at her behavior but if you looked closely, you'd be able to see a small smile on his face.

Yep, that's definitely Eirin.

"Hmm? Why in the world do you look like you're about to cry?" she asked when she was finally near him, about a meter away. At that, Furuya's cheeks reddened and he furiously wiped against his eyes. "Hah! Satoru you're still a crybaby!" she taunted with that signature grin of hers.

"Am not," there it was, his usual stoic and calm voice.

"Is too!"

"Am not,"

"Is too—"

"Just get on the field already," by then he already had his back turned against her to hide his expression. She blinked at his sudden change of mind so she just went with in and nodded although a bit hesitant. "Eirin!" he called out to her when she was halfway towards her position. She turned to look at him and tilted her head to the side in question.

"Be careful, okay?"

She grinned at him before laughing, "Who do you think I am? Of course I'll be careful." He somehow felt at ease due to her words. "So stop blaming yourself already 'cause I'm never going to be injured again, got that?" she was pointing her mitt at him with the smuggest expression he had seen on her. Furuya looked somehow stunned. Of course she noticed…

"You'll get injured if you keep that confidence,"

Eirin looked baffled at his reply, "No, I won't!"

"Yes, you will,"

"I said I won't,"

"Yes, you will—"

"Ei-chan!" Yamato called from his position. He was already crouching, asking her to pitch. Furuya, Chris and the others immediately fell silent.

They held back their breaths when she started her wind up.

That left handed wind up.

 _Bam!_

"Damn, that's fast," Isashiki commented and behind him Tetsu nodded in approval. That control, speed and power definitely belonged to an ace. Rei smiled before pushing her glasses up, this was one of the many reasons why she wanted her to join Seido. "But a curve ball, really?" he was kind of annoyed that Yamato actually let her pitch that kind of throw for her first one. What if her injury got worse? Isn't it obvious that they should start with easy pitches first before moving on to the more complicated ones?

Furuya's eyes somehow darkened.

 _Bam!_

Miyuki's eyes narrowed when the catcher threw the ball back to the pitcher for another pitch. His hands clenched on his sides. What was he doing? "He's not giving her signals," he sounded obviously pissed and loud enough for everyone to hear. The first years and the regulars looked at him while Furuya didn't seem that surprised. "That bastard's just letting her throw anything she wants," he was kind of annoyed that even though Yamato knew that it was bad for her, he didn't say anything. Was he helping her or making her suffer? Miyuki doesn't know.

"What kind of battery are they?" he muttered under his breath, a bit annoyed.

 _Bam!_

Curve ball.

 _Bam!_

Down in the middle.

 _Bam!_

Fast ball.

 _Bam!_

Another curve ball.

 _Bam!_

Masuko almost flinched backwards. He had never seen his roommate like this before. His ears were ringing. Those pitches sounded pretty nasty.

 _Bam!_

She raised her left leg and shifted all of her weight to it when it landed on the ground. Her hidden left hand rose behind her and the ball suddenly showed spinning to all directions with fast moving speed. Yamato grinned catching it above his head with his eyes somehow scrunched up in pain. Kataoka's eyes for a second lit up while Rei immediately took her memo out.

"Man, that looks like a tough pitch to catch" Kuramochi commented when the coach looked a bit baffled at what he was seeing. "That's a modified slider right there," now he wasn't a catcher nor an expert in pitching but he definitely knew some when he saw them.

"Isn't it too fast to be a slider, senpai?" the younger Kominato asked and the short stop shrugged, looking at Miyuki so that they can get answers. It was hardly a slide with the pitch being unpredictable. How does she make it spin like that anyway?

Kuramochi laughed before asking Miyuki, "So? Think you'd be able to catch that?"

The catcher just grinned.

 _Bam!_

 _Fast ball._

 _Bam!_

Eirin turned around to stretch her shoulders and neck after the pitch. Yamato stood up from his crouching position while those in the dugout looked a bit concerned. Chris clenched his fists at not knowing what expression she wore. Rei looked at the coach who nodded at her. Kuramochi, Ryosuke and Haruichi on the other hand were talking about something regarding her injury.

"I figured. Eirin you're straining your shoulder way too much," her former catcher commented and she shook her head, turning the joints of her shoulder for exercise. "There's nothing to prove anymore," he continued but her ears were covered, she was not listening to him anymore.

"Your upperclassman, he acknowledges you already. You don't have to do this you know,"

The female pitcher simply shook her head at that and started with her wind up.

 _Bam!_

Curve ball.

 _Bam!_

A fast ball.

 _Bam!_

Yamato almost winced when he saw her starting her wind up again. Everyone recognized that slow wind up. Her right handed cross fire was bad enough, what would be the outcome if she pitched with her dominant hand? Somehow, the assistant coaches looked interested.

"Eirin, stop it— " before Furuya was able to step in, Chris was already behind her grabbing her forearm before she was able to throw. Yamato stood from his position, took off his glove and sighed. He grinned a bright smile before he gave the pitcher a thumbs up. She blinked at him, not really aware for a second before she returned his encouragement with a smile.

"Sawamura, don't overexert yourself," his voice was pretty calm and kind now that she listened very closely. His eyes were somehow not that lifeless anymore and Eirin doesn't know why but she was somehow glad. "It's dangerous. You could get injured if you pitch like that," like a puppy that just found its long lost owner, her eyes lit up and everything around her shined.

Furuya took a step back.

Yamato awkwardly laughed.

Miyuki grinned.

"C-Chris-senpai," were those stars? In her eyes?

Kuramochi face palmed.


	4. Stellar Yet Lackluster

**Seraphic Charm**

 **Summary:** _She's was an elite that seems to attract a lot of strangers. First danger then Seido's assistant coach, lots and lots of players, her school's rival team's ace but what about Koshien? Fem!Sawamura._

 **Pairing:** Undecided.

 **Warnings:** _Alternate universe, OOC, canon similarities, unbelievable pitches, Fem!Sawamura and lots of_ cliché scenes.

 **A/N:** And here's the fourth chapter! This time I updated in only three weeks and not three months like last time. It's still slow but I guess we are getting there. Ohh, and since in my country, it's already break time for Christmas, perhaps I'd be updating this upcoming New Year or a week after that. I'm no making an promises though, I suck at them and I'm such an indecisive person. One moment I'm already half way throughout finishing the chapter before I start again since I'm not satisfied with it. I'm sorry if I take so much time guys, I try my best to update chapters which have quality and I try to make the characters as real and near to their original ones.

 **Blue Moon – "You got me thinking this fic discontinued. I'm glad you can update chap 3. I like it. Can Eirin use her left arm again in future chapter? I like it when she pitch left handed. And I like Yamato's role in this fic. Don't throw him away, ok? Make Yamato and Eirin like brother-sister relationship. Poor Yamato! Eirin's always oblivious. For pairing, Whoever Eirin paired up with, I don't mind. My grammar's so bad. Not my language. And my comment is too long. T_T Sorry! Update soon, okay. Waiting for the next chap."**

 _Hi, Blue Moon-san, I'm sorry if I got you thinking that, I try my best to update as fast as I can. Next time I'll make the chapters shorter so that I can update faster. And yes, Eirin will be able to use her left arm in the future. But hey, she's injured right? So how? There are clues unto how her left shoulder would be fixed in this chapter. As for Yamato, don't worry I won't throw him away. You've got that right he's like the older brother Eirin never had._

 **Naliyu – "I really loved this chapter :') thanks for writingg! I have been rereading these three chapters today! It's really enjoyable. I teared up a little at this chapter for some reason. Keep up your awesome work! Can't wait for more ;)) I'm not a person who reviews a lot so I don't really know what to say but it was great! Hope to see your update soon :)))). By the way, I thought sawamura knew what school sanada went and that he played baseball...or did she forget? Because sanada's Cousin (yuka) mentioned it, didn't she? If I remember correctly"**

 _Kami, you have no idea how nervous I was when I saw your review. I was like, 'THERE'S A PLOT HOLE IN MY STORY' but uhmmm, when I checked the scene where they met, Sanada nor Yuka did not mention which school he was from. He just mumbled 'Ojou', Eirin's school, since he recognizes her. And they told her that he played baseball but that's all I guess… phew, kami, shouldn't I know better since it's my own story LOL._

 **AnimegIRL87239 – "Hi! Just wanted to tell you that you write so many awesome stories, keep up the good work! I wanted to ask when we'll get some MiyuEi action because I'm sooooooo excited for them to happen! And since Kuramochi knows about Sanada has he told anyone about him yet?"**

 _Yes, there's barely Miyuki x Sawamura action in the chapters that I write but yes, in the upcoming ones I'll make sure to do so. In the next chapter, chapter five, school would already start so let's just see how that turns out. And did Kuramochi tell anyone about Sanada and Eirin being text buddies? No, not yet. But they'll know and some will flip out._

And as usual, thanks for all the reviews! The story has gotten a ton more follows and favorites and it just makes my heart all doki doki and stuff LOL. And forgive my grammar mistakes, if you find an error please tell me and I'll do my best to edit since I suck at proof reading.

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Diamond No Ace or any of its characters. This story is purely fan made and no profit has been made._

 **Chapter Four: Stellar Yet Lackluster**

Kuramochi blinked when he arrived at the canteen only to see Masuko seating with the other regulars during dinner instead of being with their uncontrollable female roommate per usual. They've gotten used to her eating with them these last few weeks. Sometimes she'd eat with Furuya and Haruichi but it was also their first time not seeing her around. Chris was also eating among the regulars so he had no idea where she was. The shortstop placed his tray on the table before seating and looking around.

"Where's Sawamura?" he asked as he dug in his food.

For a second, Haruichi looked concerned and turned to glance in different directions while Furuya just shrugged his shoulders. Well that was a pretty normal reaction. Miyuki grinned and somehow started to tease him about being concerned for their pitcher. The shortstopped grimaced, raising a brow as if asking where in the world he got that idea. Eirin had been present in practice earlier and she even pitched a couple of throws to Chris. The sight itself was amazing. The catcher never missed a pitch from her.

"Probably reading all those shoujo manga again," Isashiki commented and well… that was also a possibility. Last time she showed up during practice teary eyed, Kataoka demanded an explanation as to why she was five minutes late. As for why the coach didn't complain or reprimand her? No one knows the answer. Chris did softly scold her for not getting enough sleep though.

"Sawamura-chan was trying on different dresses earlier," Masuko recalled what he saw earlier. She was showing him different attires, asking which one looked better. Honestly, he had no idea what did so he just went for the latter choice. "She said that her grandfather was going to pick her up at around six for an omi— omiya —"

"An omiai," Rei said just as she passed by their table after talking with the ladies in the cafeteria about increasing the food supply for summer training camp. Summer was a harsh time for the members of Seido baseball club but that wasn't what they were concerned for now. Kuramochi had his eyes widened in the most unhuman way possible while Furuya coughed on his water with Haruichi patting him on the back. The regulars looked equally startled. Chris looked the most affected.

"AN OMIAI!?" their voices resounded in the room, everyone's head almost turned to their direction.

"Isn't she a little bit too young?" Yuki asked with his arms crossed, same stoic expression on his face.

"How old is she anyway!?" Isashiki asked his co-members, baffled at what he just heard. I mean, she was just a first year! That was way too young! Weren't match makings supposed to be for older people? Heck, even individuals in their late twenties rarely attended that kind of stuff. Seriously speaking, he was sweating cold sweat right now.

Their captain Yuki turned to the pitcher's adored mentor for an answer, "She's turning sixteen this May I believe." He remembered what was written on that paper the coach gave him two weeks ago. Everything that was there was about Eirin, her blood type, her height…. Heck, even her weight was written. It did not say anything specific about her family though. It focused more on her baseball history and skills. It even had a graph on it.

"She's just fifteen— Ohh, Kami, I'm going to faint," automatically Isashiki sat down on his seat while putting his head on his palm. Ryosuke on the other hand was talking to Rei about a couple of stuff regarding their now revealed southpaw pitcher. He was kind of interested really. But not in a bad way, he was just a bit curious to be honest.

And now that you mention it, it's been a little over three weeks since they've known Eirin. School was going to start next week but they didn't really know anything about her except her injury and that she came from Ojou Academy. Well Furuya might not be the same and Chris-senpai might know other stuff because he's always with her but…

"Is she rich or something?" that was the only explanation Miyuki could come up with. Honestly, it came out as a joke. He was being sarcastic but I guess it backfired. Along him Kuramochi chuckled but they immediately stopped when they heard a reply from their assistant coach.

Rei's glasses flashed and her expression immediately became serious, "She is the only daughter of the Sawamura konzern."

Lightning flashed from outside as if telling them that yes, they had a very rich and regal team member who they liked to tease and bully sometimes when her family could totally sue them. Haruichi couldn't even gasp, his eyes just widened behind his bangs. After the silence, Miyuki just awkwardly laughed while the others were still, some of them with their mouths open. Of course Yuki, Ryosuke and Chris were an exception to that, they merely gasped a bit while Furuya… well Furuya…. Furuya was still eating while paying no heed. He went to Nagano back then and when she was injured, he entered her house. Yes big deal because his expression was exactly the same as the regulars when he saw their gate.

"You didn't know?" Haruichi shook his head on behalf of his teammates making the older woman sigh. "Sawamura's family is very well known in Nagano. They own a lot of fields and farms that import products all throughout Japan. Their property is one of the biggest," as if cool with everything she observed how the members reacted to the sudden news. Well they were very stunned with their food already all forgotten. I mean… who would believe that she was actually affluent when she… she… she obviously does not act like one.

When Rei already left, Isashiki immediately spoke up, "Seriously!? That Sawamura!? She said she was a scholar here!" Kuramochi forced a signature laugh before nodding at his upperclassman. That was what he actually thought but he guesses that she's actually a 'rich-scholar'. Why did she need the scholarship anyway!? "Oi! Furuya! You know something don't you?" he turned to ask the pitcher who just turned and shrugged. Now that you mention it… she didn't exactly tell them.

"Why would she quit an elite school like Ojou, they're always in the Nationals," Kuramochi almost huffed at her decision. Well he didn't understand but if it was his choice, he wouldn't transfer. Not when they were expecting her to be the ace. Heck, if she didn't go to Seido she might be a regular there now due to her middle school affiliation.

"Damn, as if she isn't popular enough," it was Isashiki ranting all over again.

Ryosuke's eyes dangerously narrowed, "We'll just have to ask her when she comes back."

Along with Kuramochi's slight whimper and Haruichi assuring his brother, Chris just shook his head at the scene with a slight smile. It was Eirin's choice to tell them anyway, his teammates were just err… making a big deal out of it because they were curious. The third year catcher sighed before looking at the clock, it was already six thirty. From the other side of the table, Miyuki stared at him with an unreadable expression on his face. Chris, he had definitely changed after what happened two weeks ago. He's also been more active in the club, it was a good thing.

Miyuki sighed before propping his chin on his elbow, _"I wonder what would've happened to Chris-senpai if Sawamura didn't come."_ He was rather relieved, really.

* * *

Eirin forced a laugh at whatever her grandfather was talking about with the mother of the guy seated right in front of her. Narumiya Mira was a very kind woman. She was good looking, charismatic, her family was average but she had known Eirin's grandfather since she was very young. Back in the days, Eitoku was a professor at a university in Tokyo and Mira was one of his students in medicine. It was a grandfather to daughter relationship, really.

"Seems like you've finally become a doctor ehh? Narumiya," her grandfather was a very strict teacher. He didn't tolerate absences or late submissions of projects and assignments but it was definitely worth it. "How long has it been? eighteen years since you've graduated from university and two since we've talked to each other?" the woman laughed at his remark while Eirin just busied herself with her food. Unconsciously, she would glance at the older teen in front of her, a habit she had developed over the past few years due to all those etiquette classes she had to take in her previous school.

Narumiya Mei, he looked just like his mother.

"It's all thanks to sensei. Really, I wouldn't have managed if you didn't give me a scholarship in my second year," Mira reminisced with bliss, it obviously showed in her face. Eirin's hands stopped when she heard her previous statement, scholarship? "Sensei, you were really kind. Too bad you stopped teaching," she obviously knew because a depressed expression immediately replaced her smile. Sawamura Karin, Eirin's grandmother died at the age of thirty six leaving her husband with one child, Eirin's father. Her father was almost sixteen during that time so yes, he was affected but he did also accept her death. She died due to high blood pressure which led to a heart attack. It ran in her side of the family. No one was to blame really.

Mira smiled once more as she turned her gaze on the young girl, "Your granddaughter somehow reminds me of Karin-san with the way she looks. Ahh, but I guess she was more forward and brash. Eirin-chan is too much of a proper lady to act that way."

"Hah, as if. Don't be fooled by her looks, Eirin's just as shameless," though she glared at him, he was completely unconcerned. The said granddaughter just clenched her firsts as she muttered incoherent words under her breath but still not forgetting her manners. Mira laughed before continuing the conversation while her son Mei, stared at the said girl. Eirin obviously noticed him staring at her because she raised her brow at her in question.

"So you're Sawamura Eirin?" he almost looked very serious when he asked her that question. Somehow confused, she just nodded. Didn't he hear his mother refer to her as 'Eirin-chan' earlier? What's up with this guy anyway? "Everyone in my team is panicking because of you," he cut into his steak and took a small bite. The girl flinched on her place, expression looking unsure and shocked.

"What team are you—"

"Mei is also in a baseball team. You are, aren't you? Mei?" his mother glanced at him, not noticing that she just cut off Eirin because she was talking to her former teacher. Mei nodded. Eitoku grinned at the coincidence. "He's also a pitcher but he's nowhere near Eirin-chan though," Eirin took a sip out of her drink, eyes not leaving Mei who was glaring at his mother. She flinched when her grandfather elbowed her teasingly and she immediately gave him the look.

 _Blip. Blip. Buzz._

"Excuse me for a second," Eitoku stood up from his seat and went towards the restaurant's balcony. Mira nodded at her former teacher not really minding anything. Eirin assumed that it was just another call from her parents or from his work but that didn't concern her either. Not minding the smiles the older woman was giving her, she just continued on eating. Damn, she didn't tell someone from school that she was going to go back late. Well she told her Masuko-senpai about the meeting but would he even remember?

"Eirin-chan," Mira beamed a smile at her and she blinked before smiling back. "I still can't believe it. You look so much like Karin-san that it's almost so scary," she laughed at her own statement and the female pitcher tilted her head to the side. She had never heard that before. No one really talked about her grandmother and she didn't know what she looked like so it was a first.

"Sawamura-sensei told me that you transferred schools here in Tokyo. You should have went to Inashiro, you and Mei could've been in the same club and you can live with us," she suggested and Eirin smiled at her suggestion. The Narumiya matriarch had been very open and welcoming towards her that it made her heart warm up. For some reason, Mei choked on thin air before turning to his mother with a blush on his face. What in the world was she suggesting!?

" _Inashiro!?"_ she had heard that name before but where did she— it must have been during those times Kuramochi lectured her about Seido's history after he found out she was texting Sanada Shunpei. Kami, she was so dead.

So, freaking dead.

"Really!?" she tried to look as shocked as possible and it seemed like years of elite training worked because no one said a thing. "Well that would have been nice but I'm already settled down in Seido. Plus, I'm already familiar with the team," she forced a smile on her face, not really comfortable with the façade she had to put up. Mei looked at her with eyes somehow wide but not unusual enough for anyone to notice.

"Isn't it hard to dorm with guys? Eirin-chan, it's difficult to adjust, isn't it?" she was just concerned for the girl but somehow, even her son was listening though he looked like he was continuing eating.

Eirin's expression changed and her face turned a bit sad as she settled her utensils down, "Well, it is kind of hard but everyone's very kind. I'm definitely glad that they're not lessening my training menu, at least they're not looking down on me just because I'm a girl."

Mira almost smiled sadly at how the girl replied, "Do you have any friends?"

"I'm friends with some of the guys on the team, the managers of the club and the assistant coach I guess," Eirin recalled what happened to her and Chris about two weeks ago. At least they fixed everything up and there were fewer problems to be dealt with. She's not even sure if she'd be able to participate in games with Tanba and Furuya in the team. "It's very fun," it was not an understatement, it was true, really.

"I see, well if you say so," Mira finally surrendered and a couple of seconds later, Eirin's grandfather returned to his seat after finishing his phone call. "Would have been good if you two were in the same school though, at least you would know someone beforehand, you'd be more comfortable," the female pitcher blinked noticing how flustered the older teen was due to his mother's words. Was he… blushing?

"Mei would take you around, tour you around the school and he'd be a gentleman and look after you because if he does not I'm going to kick his ass," it was kind of terrifying how she sliced her food and said those words at the same time. Mei shuddered, obviously disturbed. "All he talks about nowadays is baseball, baseball and baseball. His grades are so bad Eirin-chan! You have no idea how much I want a daughter," she cupped both of her cheeks and sighed. The blonde looked at his mother with a questioning glare.

"Your father just called to me Eirin, he sends his greetings," when Eitoku finally talked, everything seemed to return to normal. "But other than that, Mira, can Eirin stay at your household for tonight?" he asked and his granddaughter's eyes somehow widened. The older woman squealed nodding while Mei… well Mei's face started to heat up again.

"W-What? Grandfather what's with the sudden suggestion?" referring to the old man as grandfather was something she despised because it sounded so formal with her close relation towards him. She'd only refer to him in such way, formally, in front of guests and other people or those she was not very familiar with.

"What? It's Saturday tomorrow. If I recall, you don't have practices during Saturdays,"

Eirin was muttering something under her breath in protest but her grandfather's reason was smart, too smart. Heck, he was a professor back in the days. "Seido is too far and their house is closer. I won't be able to escort you back to your dorm because I have a meeting in eight thirty," Eirin looked at her grandfather with an unreadable expression on her face.

"What's the meeting for?"

"Remember those two doctors you met last year? Tachibana and Shiraishi are both my students, they specialize in sports medicine. Perhaps, they'll be able to fix that injury of yours," he pointed unto her shoulder which was covered by the sleeves of her shirt. "And you need to stay with Narumiya so that she'd be able to survey the extent of your injury," the woman in front of them smiled while Mei looked somehow baffled. He knew his mother was good in her work but not that good.

Seeing how his granddaughter's eyes widened in hope, Eitoku grinned, "Objections?"

Eirin shook her head.

* * *

"Your room is right here," Mei led her to the guest room, opened the door and the lights. "Sorry if it's not that big, _hime-sama_ ," he teased with a sing song voice making her playfully hit him on the arm. During the car ride to the Narumiya household, she and Mei talked about baseball and a lot of things. For some reason, along the way in the middle of their conversation, he developed this weird nickname for her when he found out about her family status

"Don't call me that, _Mei_ ," he somehow blushed when he heard his name come out from her mouth. He knew that she was doing it on purpose just so that she could get her revenge but for some reason… Mei clenched his fist while gritting his teeth. Damn heart wouldn't just stop beating so fast. "And this room is already pretty big. Even bigger than the room I share with my upperclassmen," she gave him a smile and a peace sign before she practically walked into the room and settled herself on the bed.

Was she even aware of her effect on him?

Eirin was starting to tie her hair when he was snapped out of his thoughts and saw the thin but still noticeable line on her arm extending to her shoulder. She wore a dress with short pretty sleeves but during dinner earlier, he didn't really notice. "Close the door and come in," it was basic courtesy really. Eirin just awkwardly smiled at him when she saw him staring at her. Mei obliged and closed the door before walking towards her.

"You got injured?"

"Yes, two years ago,"

"Mom's going to be the one to examine you," he stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He still couldn't take his eyes off from her scar. The line, it went on so much. "Sometimes I hear mom and your grandfather talking over the phone, it's something related to baseball isn't it?" Eirin just nodded at him with a somehow sad, forced grin. Mei couldn't help but frown. If she's injured, why does she keep playing baseball? Why bother risk her health?

"But you still play. The managers that our team sent to Seido said that you were a good player,"

Eirin blinked, Inashiro was spying on them? Now she had something to tell the others in case they got mad at her for not asking permission before she left. "Really!? What else did they say?" but still though, habit kicks in and she's defenseless to compliments all of a sudden so she walks towards Mei and leans in forward. He stays on his place, not leaning back but blushing while he stares at her blinking hopeful eyes.

"T-That's all they said," Mei could easily breath again when she finally stopped leaning towards him. For a second he turned his eyes on her only to see a disappointed expression. _"Why does it feel like I just abandoned a puppy in the rain!?"_ he didn't really know what he should do. Sure he had received a couple of letters from girls left and right but that doesn't change the fact that he's never dated someone with him being focused to baseball. And how does she manage to pull off that expression!? Who in the world can resist it—from afar, Chris-senpai sneezed— and how do they manage to do it!?

"Well, uhh…" Mei's hands flew everywhere, flustered. "They said… that you were also kind of cute," he rested a hand on the back of his nape, cheeks somehow flushed and eyes looking everywhere except Eirin.

"Now everyone in my team is panicking because they _really_ like girls," he told her and mumbled something at the end. Eirin didn't really mind what he whispered, all she cared about was that other schools were looking at her but not in the way she wanted to. She almost gasped but was too shocked from what she heard when the blonde continued from where he trailed off, "You appear in magazines right? You were the one always modeling Ojou's school uniform," Eirin unknowingly clenched her hands.

When she was in junior high school, there was a page in KaraMel, a magazine that covered interviews of students about their school and uniform. Ojou was an elite school so of course that couldn't be avoided. With her having looks above average, she was often chosen to represent.

But if that was the reason why Inashiro was so interested in her…

"D-Did they say anything else about how I pitched?"

Mei blinked, "No, not really. Like I said earlier they just said that you pitch well. Ahh, but they did tell us about your fellow freshman that debuted in the tournament two weeks ago. We heard that he had a pretty nasty fast ball." In her own opinion, it was kind of deafening to hear what he learned about her school. Furuya, Furuya, Furuya. Her fists tightened for a bit and she could already feel her left arm throbbing at how her muscles flexed.

Was she being paranoid? Forgive her if she was wrong but it sounded like Inashiro was underestimating her because she was a girl. That was what she hated the most.

"Ohh yeah, Mom said that I should give you your clothes. Wait a sec," with that he opened the door and ran out of the room. Eirin sighed and released the tension from her hands before the phone in her pocket started to vibrate.

 **[08:39 P.M., April 03, 2016] [SANADA SHUNPEI]  
** -So how did it go Ei-chan? Do you get along with Chris-senpai now?

Eirin grinned as she stared at her phone. She only had half a bar left but that wouldn't hurt… right?

Morning came and Mei was knocking on the guest room's door. He woke up pretty early, it was about seven thirty and his mother was already preparing food for them knowing that her son was going to attend practice. They didn't want to wake Eirin but they didn't have a choice really, it was better to eat together. For the first time in a few months, Mira was actually preparing food with a smile, blissed at the thought of having a daughter figure.

"Oi, hime—" Mei opened the door when she wasn't replying.

The blonde pitcher flushed, closing the door behind him before falling down on the floor, flustered. He brought a hand up to his face and blushed more when he remembered what he just saw. Creamy natural beige skin, slender ankles moving up to her well-toned legs and thighs, that slim body extending towards two mounds— Mei shook his head. He did not just peek on Eirin while she was in her underwear, changing. He stood up from the floor before walking down the stairs and towards the dinner table.

" _Damn it, Mei, Narumiya Mei! You should have knocked!"_ he mentally scolded himself, knowing that if he told his mother, he'd probably get a beating. _"Why didn't you think about knocking!?"_ he hit himself on the forehead, trying to bring himself back to reality if ever he was just hallucinating because those vitamins his mother have been giving him lately were too strong so it might have played a part but no…

"Mei!? You look flushed, are you sick!?" his worried mother immediately turned the stove off after she just finished cooking. She sat down beside her son who was starting to eat and placed a hand on his forehead. "And where's Eirin-chan? Didn't I tell you to go get her?" he turned red again at her name before shrugging. Mira just blinked, confused.

"Ahh, Eirin-chan," Mei flinched, refusing to look at her. He tried as much as possible to stop the blush from showing on his face and he was failing at it… miserably. "Good morning," his mother greeted the younger girl with a smile, Mei just continued chewing.

" _Just think about your breakfast. Bacon, eggs and toast, bacon, eggs and toast,"_ he glanced at her when she yawned. She was still in the clothes she was dressed in last night but he saw that she was in her underwear earlier… did she take a bath? That would explain the slightly damp hair and moist eyelashes— _"Focus, Mei!"_ he reminded himself when she walked tad a bit closer to where they were.

The female pitcher nodded before sitting down, "Good morning Mira-san, Mei." Kami, the second year almost wanted to melt on his seat right there and now. "Mira-san, he has practice right? Can I go and watch him play?" as she started to take a bite out of her portion, her friend began to choke on his Miso soup. Unexpectedly, the doctor's eyes lit up as if Christmas came in a bit too early this year. She nodded furiously, that was not an overstatement and for some reason, Mei felt chills on his back. Must have been his mother's hand telling him to treat her well.

Eirin titled her head to the side and blinked at him. Mei could literally feel his breath being taken away.

" _Bacon, eggs and toast. Bacon, eggs and toast. Bacon, eggs and toast—"_

"Yes, yes, of course you two can go on a date," Mira teased with a wide smile on her face.

Mei flushed and scowled at his mother's direction, "Y-You're allowing her!?"

"Mira-san! Thank you very much,"

"S-Sawamura!? Hime-sama, what are you thinking!?"

"Hurry up and get changed Mei!" the female pitcher exclaimed, rather excited. She had been thinking about this since last night. For once and for all, she wanted to see how the players of Inashiro played. And who knows, things just might get a bit interesting. "I want to see how well you can pitch," she just added that on for a reason so she had no idea what Mei was blushing about. Huh, perhaps he is sick.

Eirin giggled at his antics before reminding herself to check Mei's temperature later.

* * *

Most of the players inside the fence froze on their positions with their eyes wide at their late teammate's direction. They were supposed to start practice at eight thirty and Mei was late so as usual, although their ace was not there, they continued to practice their own regime. They were about to tease him later, blame and make stories that a girl is keeping him late but—for some reason, his teammate, Carlos couldn't just stop gapping when Mei walked towards the bullpen with a girl.

A hot girl with— _"Those are C cups, definitely C cups."_

Mei walked towards his coach who was sitting on the bullpen before bowing down and grinning, telling him his reasons as to why he was late. The coach just nodded at whatever he said before he pointed to the girl and the pitcher started to explain in her stead. In the eyes of those who were far away, it looked an awful lot like a guy asking permission from his girlfriend's father. What in the world was Mei getting flustered for!?

When they were finally done talking, Mei started to run towards the mound, an extra energetic Eirin cheering for him from the bench, "You're sick, you're not allowed to faint okay! Mira-san will get mad," Kami, it did not help how she slightly waved her hands at him. He gave her a glare as if to say that he's not sick and you, yes you, Eirin you, pull your dress down. The girl obliged, somehow blushing before the ace nodded at her and walked towards his teammates.

" _Mom, it's too short!" Mei pointed unto the dress that Eirin was wearing. She didn't bring any clothes or whatsoever so she had to use the ones that were left by Mira's patients in her clinic during their extensive stay there after injuries and such. Honestly, the girls did not know what the male was ranting about. He kept complaining about how the dress was too short and how inappropriate it was. It looked decent really. It was a just a simple white sundress, they totally didn't understand Mei._

" _Son, define short," Mira took a step back to look at the dress on full view on Eirin. It looked gorgeous on the girl. She even braided her hair in a French braid and left her bangs messy and cute. "It's covering her thighs and it's just an inch above her knees, sure it's spaghetti strapped but it does not show any of her cleavage at all. What are you complaining about? Do you want to be the one wearing the dress?" it almost sounded absurd, really. But Mei was not going to back down. He was a man with pride for kami's sake._

" _Yeah, it's looks totally fine…" Eirin half turned to see the back of the dress and its hem. It was not short and it even almost reached her knees. "I knew it. I cannot pull off a dress," she grasped the ends of the dress she was given and started to frown. She didn't like dresses in the first place. She just didn't have a choice since she didn't bring any clothes with her. It was also kind of rude to refuse the woman's offer. Mira sympathized with the girl, giving her assuring words and glares toward his son._

" _No, he's just kidding Eirin-chan, it looks good,"_

 _Mei made a baffled face before defending his opinion, "First of all, that dress is above the knee, it shows a lot of skin. And mom, she's injured, people will see her scar. And look at the way it fits her, it's too… too… too tight! And why is it showing her collarbones—"_

" _Mei, it's a flowy summer dress. It's not tight. It's just an inch above her knee and she's not going to jump around is she?"_

" _But—"_

" _Would you mind lending her some of your clothes then?" his mother had her hands on her hips, an eyebrow raised at her son. The pitcher turned red at her statement, completely shocked that she… his mother out of all people would suggest such thing. The girl on the other hand was busy strapping the sandals she was given on her feet. "And don't even start complaining again, you'll be late for practice," before her son was able to reply, she was already dragging him out towards the door with an enthusiastic Eirin trailing behind them._

" _Mom— Wai— I'm telling you that it's too short!"_

"Dude! Mei, where did you fish a girl like her!?"

"Oi, Narumiya! She's a relative not your lover, right? Tell me that she's a relative!"

"You got laid before me!? Senpai won't accept this!"

"Mei-san! Is she your girlfriend!?" Inashiro's first year catcher, Tadano Itsuki asked. He was not the only curious one, really. Did he mention that their ace was being flocked by most of the members in the team? "Isn't she the one from Seido? Sawamura Eirin? Mei-san, you're dating Sawamura Eirin!?" it almost sounded out of character for someone like him who was not that enthusiastic most of the time. But hey, he was curious. What reason could Mei have for bringing a girl to practice?

"Okay, first of all, she's not my girlfriend. She's my mother's—"

"Angel…" Mei turned to look at his teammate. The perfectionist shortstop on his team, Shirakawa Katsuyuki was staring at the girl who was having a conversation with their coach. Everyone knew how much of an idealist person he was. He aimed to get high grades, he was always seeking certainty and heck he even had an ideal type— it just so happened that Eirin was the perfect reflection of that. "It is as if she had fallen from Heaven itself," okay so that sounded a bit weird for someone like him who was always serious. Was this the effect of their deprivation from women managers?

"Katsuyuki-san, what in the world are you saying?"

"Did he fry his brain cells from too much practice?"

Well Katsuyuki was a clean freak… a perfectionist, stoic, introverted, clean freak. But what was the connection towards his sudden interest in Eirin? Who knows, his teammates sometimes thought he was weird.

" _I knew it, that dress is too short,"_ in practice, he was usually cheerful and hyper. He didn't really have to worry about anything since his teammates deal with everything. Plus, he creates more trouble than the others. He's supposed to be the cool, swift, fast, strong pitcher ace of Inashiro. He has fangirls that want to be noticed. Mei, honestly, he's a bit similar to Miyuki, popular and talented. But let's also remember that he has this one flaw.

Being over confident, his pride is just higher than anyone. He doesn't want to lose even if he has to.

So how does this make him defective? It does not, it only makes him cuter! That'll give you an equal to a tsundere boyfriend who is too possessive to his girlfriend. And he's blonde! Mei has blue eyes! Do you know what that means? That means girls can drown in them and whoever his future girlfriend would be, she'd die early unless she was immune to his charm which Eirin was considering the fact that she's been around Yamato who's like the prince of the school since they were in kindergarten and Furuya who is also not half bad.

But too much confidence? That sometimes leads to problems, man. Not all the time, yes it's cute, but it mostly results to misunderstandings.

Narumiya Mei, isn't he supposed to be like a warrior? Well, yes, he can be a knight but that's already Yamato so… Uhh… back to the topic. He's full of justice, confidence, regality and strength. That one flaw destroys everything though. Mei is supposed to be a Raichu, electrifying, fast and accurate not Pikachu who just remains cute, still strong but it too embarrassed to actually be honest. Do you even see the point? As to where Miyuki is a cool, dark, mischievous, teasing Zoroark, we see Mei as a Raichu but deep inside he's actually a pretty huggable Pikachu—but hey, it's supposed to be progression, not reverse evolution.

And Eirin doesn't even belong to him nor are they're dating.

So why the fuck is he getting so pissed off.

" _That dress is too freaking short,"_

"Stop staring at her," his teammate, Yabe Koji, third baseman was stealing glances from his friend and it just irked him so much that his hands started to itch. Kami, even his teammates was starting to restrain him due to the killer intent he was releasing. "Hime-sama does not deserve to be looked at by such filthy peasants," okay, people should really hold him tighter because he's starting to go against restriction. Heck, he was ready to attack and pounce on Yabe when he just grinned at him.

"Hime-sama?" Katsuyuki asked, a bit confused. What in the world was Mei getting flustered for? He took a second look at his angel before he came unto realization. Hime-sama… princess… "So she's actually a princess and not an angel?" his hopes were not shattered at all, in fact they were brought into higher heights. To be able to actually see a living princess in this time of the day, in Tokyo, Japan… Kami, he could just die happily. Those looks, those eyes, those arms, that chest size—

"I said stop staring! And no, she's not an angel, she's hime-sama—"

The captain, Harada Masatoshi had his arms crossed before he faked a cough so that everyone would turn their attention on him, "Everyone go back to your proper places and practice. Do not get distracted." His voice almost sounded stern… extra stern for some reason. And no one knows why but no one listened and they just stood there, staring at the girl who was laughing at whatever their coach was saying. Heck, their coach was a demon! There was no way he can pull of a joke. Let's just also keep in mind that their captain hated disobedience from the members.

"Everyone. Practice. Now,"

Shivers crawled up their spines and each of them went to their proper places, still distracted but not as bad as before. It would be an understatement if one said that no one was looking at Eirin because often… very often… they would steal glances at her and see her laughing at whatever their coach was telling her.

"So Mei, what's her number?"

"Go away,"

* * *

"No… no, just no— Hime-sama, I said— No!"

"It's just a game Mei, I'll manage! Don't you believe in my prowess as a pitcher?"

"I would but you were sugarcoating the coach so that he'd let you join practice,"

"I was not sugarcoating him. I _asked_ him politely and he agreed,"

"The coach never let girls on the mound before,"

"Are you underestimating me!? Narumiya Mei you freaking ass—"

The Inashiro team watched the two bicker back and forth. They were in the dugout with Eirin trying to walk forward and Mei stopping her by restraining her arms. And they don't know why but Mei, who was supposed to be the stronger and male, was losing… pathetically. Eirin almost had no trouble with him being extra baggage and weight. The female pitcher just grinned muttering words like 'tires are heavier than Mei who weighs like a stick'. Everyone sweat dropped, they were already on their positions waiting for the two.

"They're dating,"

"They're totally dating,"

"Look, you're injured!" Mei stood up from the ground because he got pushed and fell down before he cornered Eirin on the wall, the sight almost looking a bit shojou manga-ish to the players. Everyone thought that it was totally inappropriate but let's just say that Mei wanted to do it once in his lifetime. Luckily, his words were only loud enough for the two of them to hear. "And you're going have a checkup with Mom later, she'd know if you used your arm and I'd die," he remembered what his mother told him earlier. Never do anything reckless.

"This is not reckless. I've planned this since last night. It's a complete strategical idea I've come up with," Eirin replied, crossing her arms above her chest. She tilted her head to the side rather sarcastically,

"Seriously, Chris-senpai would be so proud that I used my brain this much—"

"Chris-senpai won't be proud!" he grabbed her by her shoulders, gently scolding her. Eirin looked at her with a baffled face. Well he didn't actually know who 'Chris-senpai' was but he was sure that uhh… he wouldn't like Eirin injuring herself further. "If you get injured, it'll just be a burden on the team. Think about your health first," he didn't know what he was talking about. All he saw was how her eyes widened.

" _They need you in Ojou," her eyes were dead serious and she could see his hands go to his sides and his head turn to the ground. "You can't come with me to Seido, Takeshi," the cold wind blew and it froze her fingertips. She wasn't sure if he felt the cold since he looked the same but if you looked closely, you would be able to see how his eyes were a bit crestfallen._

Yamato… did he also feel like this?

Hopeless, despondent and desperate?

Mei clenched his fists on her shoulders before lowering his head when she turned silent, "I'm not underestimating you. I know that people acknowledge you already." He was partly right, she was acknowledged by some. Yamato and Chris were good examples, heck even Miyuki knows how much potential she had. Perhaps most of the team also does but that does not change the fact that most of them only expect.

Ace?

It's only a title.

A title that she didn't want.

"I'll be fine. I won't over exert myself, promise," she removed his arms off her, giving him a slight squeeze on the hand to assure him before walking towards the mound. _"As if you'd know,"_ Mei who had always been ahead of others would never understand what it's like being not able to catch up and being underestimated because of gender and looks.

It was supposed to be a match between the regulars and the second string players. Eirin specifically asked the coach to let her join. They don't even know where she got the Inashiro uniform from. Perhaps they lent her one from the girls' soft ball team which had an identical color scheme to theirs. That wasn't Mei's problem though. He was just worried that his mom was going to scold him if he lets her play. And her injury… what if it gets worse? Sure, she'd be playing with the regulars so she wouldn't have to do anything but… Mei clenched his fists, not really sure.

By then, she was already on the mound in front of the first year catcher Itsuki. The male had skills, it had only been a few months since he joined the club yet there he was already, in the first string. Eirin grinned analyzing him. Well she had some news to tell her team. Since she was already here, might as well scout the enemy. She wasn't sure if Inashiro's coach was just stupid or he was just underestimating her. She knew one thing for sure though, he was confident about their team and that they had nothing to hide.

"Coach, you do know that she's from Seido, right?" Mei tried for the last time, hoping that the coach would be the one to stop her from pitching. Itsuki was confirming the signals with Eirin so they had a minute or so. The instructor on the other hand, didn't look like he was going to change his mind. The male pitcher sighed as he watched his teammates grin. Ohh, so they do want to see a girl pitch.

" _First to pitch, Sawamura Eirin,"_

One of the second string members on the sidelines had his eyes widen, "S-Sawamura Eirin!?"

She nodded at Itsuki and started her windup. The regulars looked alert on their position— in this one throw, she'd be able to see how much ability Inashiro has when it comes to analyzing plays.

 _Bam!_

"Strike!"

Kunimoto's eyes widened along with Mei and the other members. The batter, a second year student was stunned on his place with his bat freezing in mid-air. Center fielder, Carlos grinned at Yabe and Sugi while Shirakawa was on his place with an analyzing expression. They all had years of experience when it came to baseball. But one thing they knew for sure was that they had never seen that kind of form before. Mei's surprise immediately turned into a grin when Itsuki threw the ball at her direction.

"What. What in the world is up with her form?"

"Isn't she the new pitcher of Seido? The one who transferred from Ojou Academy?"

Ezaki forced a smile on his face when in reality, he was nervous, "Hey, she's fast."

Harada crossed his arms above his chest, "She is, but not as fast as Mei—"

 _Bam!_

"Strike!"

The coach stood up from his seat in order to properly process what he just saw. Itsuki looked horrified as he held the mitt above his head, his hands throbbing with pain from the impact. Mei doesn't even care anymore. He wanted to see more of that pitch. The other regulars must have noticed that her throws were not that fast, she made it seem fast. I mean, how would you deal with a ball whose timing you can't time? The catcher snapped out of his thoughts when she threw a grin at him.

 _Bam!_

"Strike! Batter out!"

"Damn it! They were all down in the middle," the batter complained as he left the batter box. Itsuki stared at the girl who was arguing with Mei who was meters away from her. He asked for the same pitch three times in a row, the batter was out. Other than that, he only wanted to know one thing. Miyuki Kazuya… was he also her catcher? The one Mei was also obsessed of? Itsuki couldn't help but click his tongue. The next batter was a third year who was removed from the regular position and was demoted to second string.

Mizushima Kuro swung his bat before pointing unto the girl's direction, "Just because you're female doesn't mean I'll be going easy on you!" Likewise, Eirin looked trigged as she started to stretch her right shoulder with a grin. Mei's face turned cold, the batter was known for his power batting. No matter how talented, Eirin can't fair with simple pitches.

" _Itsuki, what will you call?"_ the ace looked over his teammate, silently pleading.

The catcher's mitt rose to a position, right down in the middle. The regulars themselves looked baffled, some shaking their heads while Eirin started her wind-up. They knew that Itsuki hated players from the other team, he was a sadistic bastard. They thought that he'd let it go since he was catching for a girl but unfortunately, it seems like they were wrong. The coach smirked. No matter what gender, an enemy is still an enemy.

 _Clang!_

Mizushima grinned and Eirin's eyes widened when the ball hit the fence.

Right down in the middle.

Those kind of throws were his absolute forte.

* * *

It was nearly five in the afternoon when the Narumiya family's car pulled over in front of Seido's gate. Eirin stepped out and closed the door while Mei had his arms crossed, looking obviously bitter. "Come on Mei, you'll see each other next time," his mother assured him from the driver's seat with a smile. The female pitcher smiled while he glanced at her with a frown. "It's not like this is the last one, right?" Mei almost scoffed at that one.

"We'll meet at the finals next time, Mei," for some reason, it never failed to make him blush with the way she said his name. "I don't know if Inashiro's going to make it though. Seido is very strong ya' know," and there it was, her signature grin that everyone was familiar to. Seriously, this girl was going to be the death of him. He just listened to her babble on and on with how great her team is going to be and how much practice she's going to do.

"Is your shoulder fine now?" Mei asked worriedly, glancing at her bandaged left shoulder which was not visible due to the long sleeved shirt she was wearing. It was not like he didn't trust his mother or something. His mother was an expert for kami's sake. It was just to uhh… double check, or so he said.

"Good as new," with that, she threw him a peace sign.

"That's good," Mei smiled in relief when she assured him, Eirin blinked. "Well then, see you at the finals _hime-sama_ ," he smirked when he saw her cheeks light up with carnation pink, his mother bidding goodbye to her before she drove off the car. From afar, the Narumiyas could hear a faint 'Don't call me hime-sama!' as they drove off and Mei couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Eirin's smile became a worried frown after she took a deep breath and faced the gate. Kami, everyone is going to flip out. She was so sure that Kuramochi was going to scold her for not telling anyone of her whereabouts. She didn't even bother to call someone. Yep, they're definitely going to kill her. Maybe if she hides behind Chris-senpai then she'll get saved.

She passed the field and it was surprisingly empty… except for the regulars who usually trained during day offs. With his sharp ears and eyes, Kuramochi immediately spotted the girl from the corner of his eye. Without second thought, he used his speed and ran towards her, leaving his position. The regulars looked confused for a second before seeing Eirin in a blur of takeoff. Haruichi and Chris who were observing practice were stunned and stood up from their place to follow.

"Ohh, shit, Mochi-senpai," no one was there to correct her of her language, really. Eirin just started to run for her life hoping that she'd get to the dorm and lock the door before her cheetah senpai lashes out on her for being irresponsible. "Please don't kill me!" he was literally behind her and there was no way she was going to outrun him.

"Sawamura!" when he got a hold on her, he put her in an elbow lock. He looked obviously pissed so now she was starting to feel guilty. "You moron! Where were you yesterday!? Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused!?" those who just caught up to them huffed in exhaustion. Eirin laughed awkwardly while giving Kuramochi explanations. He didn't look satisfied though. He wanted to know everything.

"And what was that about!? You were going to an omiai!?"

"So you have a boyfriend now, huh!?"

"Kami, Sawamura Eirin! Where in the world did you go last night!?"

"E-Eirin-chan! I'm sorry but I agree with Kuramochi-senpai this time," Haruichi shook his head when his best friend shot him her puppy dog eyes which she somehow developed. Well, Chris-senpai was the one who triggered it but over the week everyone became immune to it. The first day she used it to them was hell, don't even mention it. The only thing that probably kept them sane was Eirin's unfeminine antics that made it less effective the more you knew how brash she was.

"You should really answer your phone next time, Ei-chan," everyone nodded at the younger Kominato's suggestion and she sighed as she agreed. She couldn't help it, it was Haruichi. And Haruichi was always right when it came to these things so… "We were very worried," his voice sounded really concerned, it was something only Haruichi could pull off and Ryosuke was almost proud.

Well, she might have used all of her phone's battery power into texting… Sanada…

"She has a lot of explaining to do," Kuramochi threw his arm around her shoulder and everyone almost raised a brow at the somehow affectionate manner before he tightened his grip around her neck because… cough… cough… M-Mochi-senpai…. Can't…. breathe… air… "Be glad that its day off day today or the coach would've hanged you upside down for skipping practice!" by then he was already dragging her to the direction of their dorms.

The other regulars grinned at each other before walking while Chris exhaustedly sighed, his eyebrows somehow knitted with each other before following.

He needed to ask her about it later.

* * *

 **Sooo… in the next chapter school officially starts.**

 **And I'm also putting an A/N here since I know some of you don't read the things above LOL.**

 **Do you guys want to see some things happen? Please do tell me and I'll try to incorporate them into the next chapter. And yes, Eirin didn't actually go to an 'omiai'. To those who don't know what an omiai is it's basically a match making event. The regulars and Masuko-san were just being delusional. You'll see their reactions in the next chapter. Before you ask, yes, Eirin has uhh… issues, you know with all the expectations and underestimation and stuff. You'll see how she'd deal with it soon, perhaps in the next chapter. For now, good bye~! Ciao~!**


	5. Little Red Riding Hood

**Seraphic Charm**

 **Summary:** _She's was an elite that seems to attract a lot of strangers. First danger then Seido's assistant coach, lots and lots of players, her school's rival team's ace but what about Koshien? Fem!Sawamura._

 **Pairing:** Undecided.

 **Warnings:** _Alternate universe, OOC, canon similarities, unbelievable pitches, Fem!Sawamura and lots of_ cliché scenes.

 **A/N:** I managed to update in two weeks! Gah, I'm so proud of myself. Anyway, were all getting there! I'm not taking a couple of months like before. If this goes on then I might be even updating every two weeks or one a month, still not a lot, I know but if I wanted to update faster, I'd have to cut off the chapter. I usually write very long chapters so that you guys will be satisfied but uhh… I want to also update more. Let's just see what I'll be able to do.

 **Blue Moon - "Btw thanks for explaining. Almost forgot, sorry T_T Did Inashiro know that Eirin's pitching left handed? Or only Mei did? Since he saw her scar? Waiting for your update."**

 _Hmmm… well that's something I'm not supposed to reveal until the next chapter. It's kind of connected as to why Chris wants to see Eirin though. Does Inashiro know that Eirin's left handed? Maybe. Does Mei know since he saw her scar? Maybe. Well one thing's for sure though, he doesn't know that it's caused by baseball. As to the Inashiro question, it'll be revealed on the next chapter. I don't want to spoil anything because it'll ruin the fun._

 **Guest - 1- "Are you basing this story mostly on the manga or the anime? I'm just curious about the timeline and if you are doing it from the beginning to the end. 2- Are you going to include only major matches (e.g Inashiro or Yakushi) or all of the matches (e.g Ichidai or Akikawa)? 3- Will Fem!Sawamura go through the same serious stuff that the Canon!Sawamura did? Anyway, sorry for rambling lol but I was just a little bit confused about how you are planning the story. I truly enjoyed reading this so thank you for writing awesome stories and I hope you continue to do so."**

 _Am I basing the story on the manga or anime? I'm basing it on the manga since it's easier to follow. I tend to skip a lot of scenes though and add my own. I only follow the main story line like the matches or their training for example so that I don't stray away from the purpose. As for the matches, of course I'm going to include most of them. It's not going to be that descriptive though. Will Fem!Sawamura go through the serious stuff? Of course! Since I want her to be as canon as possible, I'll try to. I'm going to add some of my own though._

 **Clear Oni-chan - "is eirin having problems with her purpose? cause that seems to be the case."**

 _Good question. She does have problems with her purpose. Notice something? Well I guess I can say this much. Did she mention that she wanted to be the ace of Seido?_

Thanks for all the reviews guys~! If you have ideas for uhh… scenes for example please just let me know. I'm sorry if there isn't much MiyuSawa action, I'm still finding a way to make it happen. As to those waiting for the next chapter, please bear with me! I'll try to be as quick as possible. Bye~!

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Diamond No Ace or any of its characters. This story is purely fan made and no profit has been made._

 **Chapter Five: Little Red Riding Hood**

"Oi! Sawamura, wake up already!" a rather pissed off Kuramochi shouted, shaking the shoulders of Eirin who was still buried in the warmth of her bed. It was already six thirty and school started at seven twenty. With the cafeteria crowded, she wouldn't make it in time for the entrance ceremony if she didn't move now. "You only have fifty minutes left you dumbass!" a rather tired Masuko stood behind him with droopy eyes. He couldn't help it really. They don't know why it was so easy to wake up for baseball practice and so difficult when it came to school. Was there even an explanation for that? —Kataoka's face flashed in front of the third year's eyes before a chill ran down his spine.

Masuko and Kuramochi were already dressed in their uniforms and all that was left was breakfast. Eirin on the other hand, "Nghh… give me another hour to sleep, senpai." Was being so comfortable, curling up to the sheets which by the way isn't hers and is Kuramochi's since she haven't washed hers in weeks. And an hour!? Not even five minutes but an _hour_!? Masuko could see a tick mark appear on the short stop's forehead before he cracked his knuckles.

"You brat," as if automatically, he held Eirin in his infamous 'Sleeper Hold', a move he copied from the wrestling shows that were displayed so much on television. "Don't be so confident!" he had both of his arms around her neck, cutting off her air supply. The pitcher's eyes shot up, obviously awake as she extended her hands before patting him in surrender. Seriously though, the short stop had so much strength. If she wasn't flexible, how would she have fared against him?

"I'm up! Mochi-senpai, I'm up!" Eirin doesn't really complain when he manhandles her, she's glad to know that he's comfortable enough to be around her. "You could've given me a better morning call," Kuramochi twitched and Masuko was using all his strength to hold him back because, morning call? They were trying to wake her up for ten minutes already!

"Anyway, just hurry up and get ready. I bet the cafeteria is crowded by now,"

Groaning, Eirin immediately got up on her legs, opened her share of the cabinet to get her school uniform while the two headed out for breakfast. She moved like a slug, very slow as she walked towards the girl's bath to wash up and brush her teeth. It wasn't crowded like the guys' considering the fact that girls rarely stayed at the dorm. Heck, is there even another girl in the dorm? The managers' homes were near so it wasn't really necessary for them to dorm so… now that you mention it. Eirin's eyes widened at the sudden realization that she hadn't realized in the three weeks she stayed in Seido.

Putting on her uniform, it felt a bit weird wearing it for the first time. Since kindergarten she was enrolled in Ojou and had worn the school's crest for years so wearing another felt a bit strange. It wasn't a bad feeling though, she was excited to see what was about to come. Seido's female uniform was a caliber for private schools— from the white blouse and blue ribbon with yellow accents to the plaid dark blue skirt with gold streaks. Eirin wore the standard cream cardigan since it was required for the spring.

Walking back to their room to put away her clothes, she gasped when she saw the students exiting out of the cafeteria. Hurriedly, she sprinted towards their room, went back to the canteen and grabbed a tray because Kuramochi-senpai is going to scold her if she's late for the first day of school. Worse, he'll report it to her beloved Chris-senpai and she won't be able to live that down. Well, getting scolded by Chris-senpai than the coach was always a better option but— anyway.

When she arrived at the gymnasium, everyone was already finding seats and making friends. There wasn't a particular seat plan and all that mattered was that you sit with your fellow grade level students. Haruichi, Furuya and Eirin were together since among the other freshmen they only know each other. Well there were also those first years in the team but they're not really close to them.

"Ei-chan, you're wearing the uniform," the younger Kominato pointed out, blushing a bit because Eirin had never looked this prepped before. Usually, her hair was a mess and everything was out of place. It was kind of nice to see her look proper for once. "I-It looks good on you," it was a shy honest compliment but Eirin's eyes were already sparkling. Furuya would have told her to keep quiet if he wasn't dozing off.

"You look cute too as always, Harucchi," and there it was, the infamous nickname she had for him and the bright blinding smile she always had. Some male first years found themselves whispering when she turned to look at her friend and accidentally showed them the side of her face. "Unlike Satoru who's always sleepy," she elbowed the pitcher on his side and his eyes snapped open, glaring at her who stuck her tongue at him childishly.

When the ceremony began and they started to introduce the teachers, Eirin was silently doing fight-o's on her seat when Kataoka and Rei were introduced. The assistant coach must have noticed because of the slight smile she had on her face while Kataoka turned his eyes towards her for a second. Haruichi held on unto Eirin's arm, trying to calm her down because she was active… too active…heck, she was freaking hyper.

"And now for the first year representative speech," the one who gave the speech was usually the one who scored the highest during the entrance exam. Of course, all of the first years have taken it including Haruichi, Furuya and Eirin because Seido's not just for baseball —it also focuses on academic excellence. Being there right now meant that they passed. Last year, they heard that it was Miyuki and Kuramochi's classmate who gave the speech.

"Who do you think it would be, Ei-chan? That person must be pretty amazing," Haruichi sighed because he had always wanted to be an honor student for once. Sure, his grades were good but they were not exceptional. It was just above the average score an athlete who was busy with sports would get. Furuya didn't really look that interested while she seemed to sparkle the very moment he spoke.

"Un, yeah, definitely admirable," everyone in the team knew that she was weak towards compliments. Her focus would be destroyed in an instant if you somehow gave her praise in the middle of a match so most of them avoided doing it. Well for time to time Chris-senpai would tell her that she did well and by then, Eirin was just ready to melt.

"Getting a score of 487 points out of 500—"

Mostly everyone gasped at the number while Kuramochi who was sitting next to Miyuki with the other second years visibly flinched. Both of them got average scores during tests but they were never the studious types. It amazed them how an individual can get such a high score. "Uwaa, that person must be such a nerd—" because there was no way you'd get that kind of score without being very dedicated to your studies and spending all of your time just reading books. Unfortunately, the short stop was cut off and was proved wrong.

"—Sawamura Eirin,"

"What the fuck," the third years glanced at Jun whose face obviously paled in shock.

Everyone clapped their hands while those who actually knew her looked baffled. Haruichi and Furuya looked at her weirdly when she stood up from her seat and walked towards the stage. Did she just become the first year representative without telling them? From afar, Kuramochi's breath hung on air while Miyuki choked on nothing, Kawakami who was also with them looked at the girl in awe. Their classmates threw them concerned but mostly disturbed glances, they all knew that the baseball club members were weird.

The third years gasped when they saw Chris raise his brow at the announcement because that does not just happen. Chris. Does. Not. Show. Emotion. Nor moves his face unless he talks. Well they also didn't know about the fact that he had somehow recovered from his depression this break due to a much unexpected pitcher. Isashiki was shaking on his seat with his hands on the side because kami, he tried so hard not to stand up and question everything. The older Kominato was chuckling under his breath while their captain, Tetsu kept his eyes on the stage.

"W-What the fuck," Isashiki was usually the one who scolded the first years whenever they cursed but currently, he was too out of it himself. And that was the second time of the day already. Chris' prodigy is up on the stage, about to give her speech and they didn't know anything about it. "That… that… Bakamura is—" honestly he was kind of torn at the nickname because 'Bakamura'? Isashiki gulped. 487 points is not a baka's score, dammit.

 _What._

"Sawamura Eirin? What is she doing up there, Kuramochi?" Miyuki asked the short stop who was also unaware of what was happening. Kuramochi gave him a look for a second because 'Sawamura Eirin'? Since when did Miyuki call her by her full name? "Haha, I just wanted to get her back. I see why she likes calling me by my full name so much," he threw him a peace sign which did not seem so innocent especially if it came from someone like the catcher.

"Other than that, 487 points!?" the girl's roommate looked at the stare warily. "Sawamura who's too focused on baseball got that high of a grade— kyaha, that sneaky little brat!" he grinned under his breath, not minding all the stares they were receiving because Eirin. Sawamura Eirin. Top one baseball addict has gotten the first year representative position.

Kami, what is happening?

"Furuya-kun, did you know about this?" Haruichi asked with a somehow serious voice but the pitcher just shook his head. He knew about her injured arm and her previous lifestyle but… uhh… he wasn't really aware about this. "E-Ei-chan just got the first year representative award," Haruichi smiled while Furuya's eyes were still on the stage, mouth slightly parted.

Eirin stood in front of the podium, glancing at her friends before starting her speech.

 _Kore ya kono  
Yuku mo kaeru mo  
Wakarete wa_

 _Shiru mo shiranu mo  
Osaka no seki_

The speech was usually started with a quote or a poem.

"Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of all the freshmen, I give you my thanks and greetings—"

All the baseball club members just stared in awe by then.

* * *

Eirin sat on her seat which was two desks away from the blackboard. At first she would have fussed about sitting next to the window since that's so shojou manga-ish and she adored that kind of stuff but she's too sad that she's not in the same class as Haruichi and Furuya. Both of her friends were in class B while she's at C because the teachers decided to do so— for who knows what reason. Well there was Haruno, one of the many baseball club managers but her desk was too far away so all she could do for now was cry on her desk.

"H-Harucchi," she called out, exaggerated tears flowing down from her desk to the floor and everyone sweat dropped. It wasn't that she's too shy to socialize or make friends. She's just too worried that no one would be able to relate to the stuff she's often talking about which as usual is about baseball. _"Must be fun for Satoru,"_ she imagined the two of them in the same class, talking and comfortable with others already. If only she was also there… Eirin sniffled a bit.

 _Crang. Bang._

The door was slid opened by their homeroom teacher and everyone stood up and greeted him in uniform order. By the time they were already seated, he had introduced himself and asked the students to also do so. No one really bothered to complain since at their school it was also a habit to introduce themselves at the start of the school year. Eirin slightly slumped back on her seat when the first guy started to introduce himself. It was just simple really. You say your name, previous school and perhaps some interesting things like your birthday or hobbies.

"Hirano Aoi…"

"Aizawa Kurumi,"

"Uetake Kyou,"

"…"

A couple of turns later, it was already her turn. Cheerfully grinning, she stood up her seat and made an energetic salute which made Haruno on the other side of the room giggle, "Sawamura Eirin, yoroshiku!" Everyone clapped just like they did to the others while some of the boys dared to whistle low—left unheard by the oblivious pitcher. "I'm looking forward to being with you guys for the rest of the year," when she smiled the guy in front of her almost hyperventilated, the manager smiled.

"Do you have any questions for Sawamura-san?"

One of the boys raised his hand and asked, "Are you single?" When the female pitcher unconsciously nodded most of the guys cheered. A couple of the girls looked like they admired Eirin since she got the first year representative award and was popular already. Who wouldn't want to be friends with her?

"Do you have any hobbies?"

Now if this was Ojou, she was supposed to say flower arrangement and baking pastries because if she doesn't… extra classes for female etiquette would occur. She remembered the last time she did force herself from saying those things as her hobbies —her friends were trying so hard to hold their laugh during class. "I like baseball and uhh… catching beetles and fishing, its super fun!" well that was an unexpected answer. _"I was raised in the countryside so there's really nothing else to do,"_ even if you're rich, if you came from the countryside, you're _always_ from the countryside. And her friends were really outgoing. Yamato was the only spoiled kid she helped recover and actually be human.

One of the girls, gasped before she turned her head to the side and looked out of the window. Eirin blinked… has she seen her before? Before she was allowed to wonder, more questions were already raised.

"Baseball club!?"

"What position do you play? Are you a regular!?"

"Uhh… I play pitcher," she gave a peace sign to the girl who looked very interested. "And I'm not a regular, I'm still in the second string," when she sighed dejectedly, some of her classmates awed before they gave her pats on the back and words of encouragement. "I'm training under Chris-senpai though so I bet that I'd be improving in no time!" her eyes immediately beamed at the name.

"Everyone in the baseball team is full of energy, ne?" the teacher commented and the students giggled. Even Eirin laughed, it was obviously a compliment. "I heard that Sawamura-san is a prodigy at almost everything. I'd have to try my best too," the teacher joked, most of them laughing. It was true anyway. She did get the first year representative award so no one was jealous, she deserved it because she was smart. But prodigy? Were the teachers talking to each other?

"You guys are so troublesome to handle," the students laughed when he shook his head.

A guy with blonde hair, the one sitting in front of her sighed. If she recalled properly, Kanemaru Shinji was his name.

"Don't lump us in with someone like her, sensei. Not everyone's that carefree in the team. Even for a prodigy, she won't make it in the regular position with that attitude," Kanemaru was obviously looking down at her. Eirin turned to look at him, her eyes narrowing at the foul words he was throwing at her. "Why is she even here in Seido anyway? I bet she just joined the baseball club to kill time," her hands clenched, their classmates looking uncomfortable in every second that passed.

"What's with you?" she completely had no idea what was up with this guy. What did she do to him anyway? "Do I know you?" Eirin crossed her arms and raised a brow, something she used when dealing with someone as twisted as Miyuki Kazuya. Well, she thinks that she could handle this well because no one could have a more messed up personality than that catcher tanuki.

"Of course you don't. You're only with the regulars," when their classmates gasped and some of the girls laughed, Eirin could feel her nails digging unto the palm of her hand. Most of them were already starting assumptions and. "And you're always trying to impress," Haruno threw her friend worried glances before the teacher walked between the two and started to scold Kanemaru.

Eirin stared, her eyes unconsciously slitting.

"Wait, isn't she from Ojou? He's right, what is _she_ doing here?"

* * *

After school practice had already ended and Kataoka was doing laps around the school, something that he does every now and then. Usually, he would start to run after the curfew in order to make sure that he doesn't interrupt the members' extra practice which most of the regulars do after dinner. It was already late and most of them were probably asleep by now. From school work to extensive hard practice, they were sure to be tired.

"The summer camp starts in July and it's just April, two more months to go and we'll be able to start training," Kataoka muttered under his breath as he inched near the baseball field, the mound covered in fence. _"Were just three weeks into competition, I can't let the players be at ease,"_ he was determined to make the regime stricter if he had to. He had also been discussing methods with the assistant coaches for these past few weeks. Ever since they've heard from Eirin how strong Inashiro was, they've been thinking about strategies non-stop.

 _Bam!_

The coach turned his head towards the training grounds. Who would be up till this late?

" _Don't lump us in with someone like her, sensei. Not everyone's that carefree in the team. Even for a prodigy, she won't make it in the regular position with that attitude," Kanemaru was obviously looking down at her. Eirin turned to look at him, her eyes narrowing at the foul words he was throwing at her. "Why is she even here in Seido anyway? I bet she just joined the baseball club to kill time," her hands clenched, their classmates looking uncomfortable in every second that passed._

 _Bam!_

Eirin gritted her teeth as she threw a pitch towards the wall. The ball rolled towards the ground as she picked up another from the growing pile beneath her feet. "Acting as if he knew everything!" well her form might not be the best for now since she was only pitching to release her anger. "Obviously he doesn't!" Kataoka didn't react to her words and only watched her struggle with her wind up.

 _Bam!_

The female pitcher huffed and scraped her shoes on the ground.

"Your form is completely erratic and when you try to pitch a fastball, your movements become too wide," she turned around to see the coach with his usual stern expression on. Eirin flinched on her place a bit nervous because one— it's past curfew and no one is allowed to loiter past curfew and two—he definitely heard her complaining out loud. Kami, she's going to get scolded isn't she? "What time do you think it is you idiot? Reckless training can cause your body to break down!" when the coach started to cross his arms and raise his voice, Eirin slightly lowered her head.

"B-Boss! Ahh… no… you've been working hard, _coach_ ," she bowed a formal bow and Kataoka sighed. She wasn't listening was she? "I was just uhh… doing some image training," her words contradicted with the balls on the ground so that excuse wasn't really useful at all. The coach started to wonder how she even got out of the room wearing that bright baby blue sweater without Kuramochi or Masuko noticing. She totally stood out in the dark with that color contrasting with her bright cat eyes.

"Y-Yeah, image training," when she scratched the back of her neck and averted her gaze, he immediately caught a glimpse of her taped fingers. Her hands were full of scratches and the ends of her nails were cracked from too much practice. How long has she been doing this for? "Please don't scold me coach! I won't sneak out again! This would be the last time!" she closed her eyes, bowing in front of him. The coach simply stared, looking unaffected by her words so she somehow sweat dropped.

" _Last time?"_ so she had snuck out before?

"When I went to Inashiro and played against the second years… the batter scored a homerun against my pitch," he could see how she somehow clenched her fists. Usually, Eirin wouldn't be the type to be discouraged by this kind of thing. "I managed to somehow get over that but it made me realize that I still have a lot of things to learn," for once she sounded mature, still having that determined look on her face.

"Well that was the reason I started practicing in private but then _he_ happened, damn it! Kanemaru Shinji, just you wait and see!"

Kataoka sighed, removing the towel that hung on his shoulder, _"Honestly, what a surprising girl. It looks like she completely forgot that baseball is played by a team._ " Eirin looked at her in a daze when he started speaking, "In any case, stop pitching recklessly. From now onwards, any voluntary practice will be done with a towel to perform shadow practice. Do you understand? No matter how forceful your throw is, you won't be able to increase the speed of your ball." Her eyes lit up when she finally realized that the coach was teaching her something that he doesn't usually say to members, a personal lesson.

"The crucial factor is the hand that's in the mitt," Kataoka extended his hand as if surveying the air. "To be able to transfer all the force into your fingertips, a soft paw like yourself should perform a wall with your left arm," when he started his wind up, Eirin tried to observe everything that he was doing very carefully. When she started to play baseball, no one taught her how to do so and it was just something she honed throughout matches. Having a teacher show you how it's done was so different and it made her hands clench in excitement.

" _Move your weight, your left leg supporting your body. In that way without letting the power escape, gather it first with the wall of your left arm,"_ her gold eyes were sharp, irises slitting like a cat's. _"Arch it down like a drawn bow and when the tension is at its limit, turn your body into a vacuum. From the lower half of your body, transfer that energy and—"_

 _Whoosh!_

Eirin slightly took a step backwards when she felt the pressure of the wind. Slightly taken aback, she could only gap when Kataoka threw the towel at her as if encouraging her to follow what he just did. She knew that without her left arm, in the high school baseball field she would stand no chance against others. By then she should polish her right handed pitch, hone it to its finest as much as possible.

" _Form a wall with my right hand,"_ her thoughts sounded reliable but her body didn't seem so. "Let it fly!" she wasn't really sure where she got that from but when the towel slapped the coach's face, she was sure that she had done something bad. Automatically, she fell on her knees kneeling for forgiveness even before he started scolding her. She's been in this situation dozens of times before. Seeing the expression on the coach's face just screamed terror.

" _Let is fly, my sanity,"_ she mentally scolded herself before apologizing in a mantra, "Please forgive me boss. I swear I won't do it again. Please don't ban me from joining practice! I'll do whatever you want! Uhh… I was just… uhh… I'm going to perfect what you taught me!" Kataoka had his arms crossed when he looked at the girl who was worshiping him like he was a yakuza leader. The coach sighed, not really sure what he should do with the girl. He had never encountered a player with that kind of attitude before. Too cheerful, too determined, too clumsy, too dense, too unpredictable— heck, sure Miyuki had a twisted personality but he was uhh… less enthusiastic.

"Sawamura,"

"Hai! Yes! Yes! Yes, what is it, boss?"

"Kuramochi told me that you were close to Sanada, Yakushi High's ace," Eirin tensed at his words before hesitantly nodding, reminding herself to uhh… tell Kuramochi something when he wakes up later. Seriously, kami! Why did he have to tell coach out of all the people in the world!? Does that mean that the others also know? Kami, does that mean Chris-senpai—cue Eirin's puppy-like whimper because she doesn't want her senpai to hate her. "I want you to spy on their team," his voice sounded so serious that it snapped her out of her delusions.

"W-What—Boss, what did you say?"

Seriously… this girl.

"You're going to scout the Yakushi team,"

* * *

Eirin found herself standing in front of Yakushi's gate with bated breath. It was Saturday so she wasn't even sure if the baseball team had practice, she was just taking her chance since the boss told her to do so. Also after classes they had to train so she was only free during weekends. Weekends where she was supposed to rest and enjoy her freedom… but coach's orders were absolute so, yeah. Clenching her fists, she gathered all of her self-confidence and entered the school. It was just as wide as Seido, if not, just a little bit bigger in the field area. It would be understandable since they were aiming for Koshien.

" _Ehh!? Scout!? Sensei, I'm too obvious!" she pointed unto her face as if indicating herself. Kataoka raised a brow, completely knowing that. Yes, she was too obvious. But she's the most useful one in the bunch when she's in full focus. And she needs time to heal those hands of hers, this was the perfect opportunity. "They'll figure out that I'm spying on them and I'll get in trouble coach, deep trouble. Just send Furuya or something. I wanna practice pitching," she won't risk her education and get kicked out again. Her grandfather would give her an earful if that happened._

" _Sawamura, I'm sending you and that's final," he stared at her and their eyes met giving her shivers. Kami, the coach's stare was so intimidating. "I believe that you'd be able to give me all the data we need. You've been a very big help when it came to gathering information about Ojou and Inashiro," her eyes automatically lit up at the compliment and she couldn't help but nod. Well, I guess if the coach trusts her then she shouldn't let him down, right? Right?_

Pulling her cap lower to hide the shadow of her eyes, she glanced from the field and towards the mound where the regulars were practicing. The scene looked similar to Seido— the third and second string members were running laps in groups and the regulars were on the mound doing drills. Their coach, Todokori Raizou was on the dug-out, staring at the members who were doing their regimen. It looked like a battlefield, really, with their captain, Yamauchi Yutaka scolding those who slacked off.

Eirin blinked when she saw who were at the nets. They had four pitchers?

" _Mishima Yuta, first year, forkball and sinker. Mino Yuuto, third year, curve ball and forkball. Tadokoro Raichi, first year, fast ball, 140 km/h,"_ she made sure to write down every single thing they did along with their personalities since that might help the batter in guessing their pitches. _"Sanada Shunpei, second year, inside pitch 140+ km/h, cutter and two seam fastball,"_ Eirin whistled low, amazed that her friend had so much skills. And she's been chatting with him for almost a month already.

" _Tadokoro Raichi is an alternate pitcher, position, third baseman,"_ of course they just had to have multi-talented players like Miyuki.

 _Clang!_

The female pitcher gulped, inching away for a bit when the ball hit the fence, _"And most of the Yakushi players are good in batting."_ Well that was a bit unexpected especially from Raichi and Sanada who. "Damn it, how come they're so good at it," her hands clenched the fence as she gritted her teeth out of jealousy. She was never the batting type, she was more of a… bunt… nah, forget about it. Almost all of the balls they hit reached the fence if not near it. Frustrated and envious, she just continued to write on her memo pad. Was this a hidden motive of the coach!? Fire up her determination so she can practice more because she can't bat to save her life!? Because if that's the case it's working, it's working very well.

" _Sanada has good ball control,"_ Eirin's eyebrows furrowed when she saw him pitch at the catcher, Watanabe Tetsuya, a third year. _"It would be difficult to hit that with his series of pitches,"_ it wasn't like she didn't have faith on her team. It was just that they had four pitchers who were good at both areas. _"Let's say that their pitches do not go through us. But when it's our turn to pitch, even if it's Satoru…"_ the female pitcher flinched a bit when Raichi swung his wooden bat. The wind was cut in half and it was as if she was looking at coach Kataoka.

Swallowing her worries, she gripped on her left shoulder, _"Damn it, damn it. First Inashiro then Yakushi, what's up with Tokyo?"_ Back in junior high she did not have anything to worry about. Now, seeing all of this made her a bit nervous. Can they even do it? Most of the players here looked like they were about to go professional. _"It's alright, we still have Tanba-san,"_ no matter how much she tried to adjust her eyes at the scene, she was still baffled at how well they batted. And are they even serious?

" _And Yuki-san is better at them when it comes to batting,"_ she added on.

"Eirin nee-chan!" her eyes widened because when she turned around, she was met by a set of very familiar brown eyes that were sparkling. "A-Are you here because you're visiting nii-san? So I was right! You two are dating!" when she jumped, her dress and pigtails also bounced along in bliss. Kami, Eirin forgot that she always tagged along during his practice. Now she's busted. And worse, people would misunderstand.

"Y-Yuka-chan!?" at first she was shocked at how fast her identity was discovered, not that a baseball cap hid much in the first place. She didn't want to act cold but needed to conceal her identity. "W-Who are you, I don't know you," she averted her gaze to avoid suspicion but the young girl just grinned, not entirely convinced since she already saw her face. Damn it! Was this also how her parents felt when she was sometimes being annoyingly right back then?

"Nee-chan, it's alright. No need to get shy. Nii-san would be so happy to see you," she slightly elbowed her on the arm and Eirin could feel her cheeks heat up. "I'm so glad that you two are finally dating, ne?," and let me remind everybody that this child here is in kindergarten, three years old, fluently speaking about love. And why doesn't she stutter!? Most three year olds were supposed to be slow-spoken! What's up with her endless vocabulary!? Seriously, Sanada should buy proper bedtime story books instead of being lazy and replacing them with cheaper shojou manga.

"Yuka-chan, shhhhh!" Eirin bended down in order to meet her at eye level and the younger girl immediately covered her lips, smiling a bit. "And were not dating," she bluntly followed making the girl's expression sink and suddenly turn pale. Big innocent eyes suddenly circled in tears, hands clenched on the hem of her white summer dress and—"Okay, okay, please stop crying," Yuka walked towards her for a hug and she stood up trying to comfort her, not knowing that it would show her identity to the whole world.

Kami, she was such an idiot that she could already hear the faint screams of Kuramochi-senpai going 'Bakamura!' as he covered his face with his hands.

"E-Ei-chan?" from those late night calls and conversations they had over the phone, she knew that the voice belonged to Sanada. He seemed shocked to see her at his school much more with his cousin, though it was not that unexpected since Yuka has this habit of roaming around a lot. "Ehh?" his hands which were once clenched relaxed and a blush covered his cheeks. Eirin also lit up, staring at him with the same redness while Yuka turned back and forth from the two, smiling ear to ear. Kami, she should have expected this to happen. Now she does not have an escape route.

"Uhh," when she placed Yuka back on the ground, she started to walk backwards, one step at a time with carnation still dusted on her cheeks. "Well… uhh… bye," closing her eyes, she braced herself and ran away from the scene with everything she had. For a girl, she ran pretty fast in converse, almost as fast as Kuramochi during that moment. Yuka only cheered when her cousin started to pick up his pace and ran for chase.

" _No way, no way, no way,"_ she chanted inside her head, not really sure where she wanted to go. All she knew was that she took random turns and continued to run on unfamiliar streets. _"Why in the world did I run away in the first place!?"_ if she was looking at her own face, she would have noticed how she ran with her face covered in the prettiest shade of pink one would ever see. The bystanders took notice and their heads turned at the girl who seemed like a character who came to life from an anime.

Why was she so embarrassed!?

Why did she run!?

Why does this seem so much like a scene out of a shojou manga, dammit!

Pausing on her tracks, Eirin tried to catch her breath and when she turned around to see that there was no one, good. _"Damn it,"_ she mentally cursed followed by other invalid strings of words which would have earned a good one hour lecture from Isashiki-senpai. _"I was supposed to spy on them,"_ when she flipped through her notebook, it was filled with information worth of ten to fifteen pages. Sure it was a lot but she really, really, wanted more. Sighing, she looked up only to find the sign of a batting center flashing before her eyes.

Was this fate?

" _Batting?"_ Kami, remind her because it was one of the things she sucked at and needed to improve more. Well it was just nine and it wouldn't hurt right? She can just come back for more information later. Even if she didn't, she already had a lot anyway. Stepping in, she equipped herself with a bat and put coins in the slot. It was then she realized that she was way worse than she thought she was.

 _Bam!_

Okay she did not hit but its fine, it's just the first pitch anyway.

 _Bam!_

She can just try again, right?

 _Bam!_

"…."

 _Bam!_

She was missing a 70 km/h inside pitch. A 70 km/h inside pitch— Kami, don't even talk about it. Her swing was so slow and late it would embarrass the fourth graders batting at the cage next to hers. _"What?"_ her eyebrows knitted with each other, not exactly sure what was wrong with her. The light flashed and the ball showed, she missed by a mile. "What is wrong with me!?" everything that Kanemaru said flashed back and she dramatically gripped her hair, the fourth graders giggling at her.

"Nee-san, you're holding the bat wrong. Too much pressure, relax, relax," one of the kids who was watching her from outside the cage said, pointing at her fingers.

"Ehh?"

* * *

"Like I said, Raichi, with the way you're thinking you're not going to do well in matches," his father, Tadokoro Raizou harshly said making his son grit his teeth at him. It's always like this, the father-son combo fighting each other. It happened almost every single day. The members of the team sighed, exasperated. "I'm not going to put you in the starting line-up if you keep that up. Go cool your head first, go run or something and don't come back until you've finally had some sense, you idiot," the regulars gasped. Sure they fought but they never went this far before.

"Where's Sanada when we need him!?"

"I didn't see the face but he ran after a girl… it was a girl… I think,"

"His girlfriend?"

"I think so? Sanada never runs,"

Raichi's eyes dangerously narrowed before he dropped his bat and turned his back at the team, walking away, "Fine then, I'll go _run_ or _something_! I might as well go to the river and swim so that I'd cool my head faster!" When he got out of the fence, the members looked at each other, slightly torn between two choices— do they stop him? Do they not stop him? They choose not to intervene when the coach gave them glares as if telling them to go back to practice instead. Some of them hesitantly obliged and some scared for their life. The last thing they wanted was the coach multiplying their training by quadruple. Trust me, when that happens, you just want to run for your life but the sad thing is you can't… and you never will.

Walking out of Yakushi with his uniform still on, he went to the place which calms him the most — the batting center in front of the elementary school. They were always open, almost 24 hours since there were a lot of teams in the neighborhood and it was near the main street. "Raichi! You're here, you don't have practice?" the owner greeted him when he went to grab a bat. He was a regular at this place so of course, most of the staff knew him. He's been coming here since he was young.

"The old man scolded me again, told me to cool my head off," he told the owner who was about in his fifties. The guy laughed, seemingly like he was used to it before giving Raichi a light tap on the shoulder as a form of encouragement. "You have any cages left?" the owner nodded, perhaps there was one more left. The others were probably occupied since it was Saturday and the kids from the elementary school liked hanging out here. Walking towards the slots, he was shocked to see a bunch of kids blocking the way, cheering for the girl at the other side of the fence.

"Like I said, nee-san, you're holding the bat wrong! Like this, hold it like this!"

"Nee-san, gambatte!"

"Ahh, the ball's coming! Position! Position!"

 _Bam!_

The kids groaned in defeat when she missed. At least she improved a bit, last time she wasn't able to bat 70 km/hr pitches but now she was at 80, still missing some. But hey, there's improvement. It's good right? Right? "No, it's not good. Wipe that hopeful look on your face nee-san! The batting average for a high school student is supposed to be 110 km/hr!" one of the kids exclaimed pointing at the meter that flashed 80.

"You don't know what I've been through!" Eirin declared, her eyes moving back and forth from the children and machine. "Since junior high, I wasn't able to bat to save my life! I'd be long dead if batting was necessary for living! Damn it, I want to hit a homerun!" she swung her bat when the ball passed and hit the board behind her. The kids looked deflated when she missed again. Raichi blinked, what were they doing?

 _Bam!_

"Nee-san, don't just randomly hold the bat! Keep it light!"

"It's alright! Don't mind! You can do it, nee-san!"

 _Bam!_

" _Why does this make me so frustrated?"_ missing by a ton, the kids looked dejected. She's been at it for almost an hour already and in the six plays she had, she missed more that she actually hit. "Damn it!" she muttered under her breath, getting unto position when she saw the light flash. Of course she also missed that one. Was baseball always this hard? She's been playing the game for years already! Why is this so difficult? For some reason, she suddenly had great respect to all of her upperclassmen.

 _Beep! Beep!_

"Nee-san, it's alright! You'll still make the team!" one of the kids with bald hair tried to comfort her with assuring words but it only made her heart wrench more. With her newly discovered bad talent, she wasn't even sure if she was still going to make it. I mean, would it be understandable that she was bad at it since she was a pitcher? She could just say that she was focusing more on improving her pitches but that would be a very bad excuse. "We'll help you!" the other kids nodded, supporting their friend with strings of encouraging words.

"You won't be able to hit it like that," a voice from the bench called, pointing at her fingers on the bat.

"Raichi-nii!"

He stood up from his seat and walked towards the fence, "Your non-dominant hand is on the handle, your dominant one is on top." Eirin blinked before looking at the bat she was holding, non-dominant hand on the handle? Wait, has she always been right handed— Ohh. "And try to keep the bat from the palm of your hand. Your knuckles should be aligned," the children let out awe in amazement when he explained in full detail.

The female pitcher looked at him for a second before realization came, _"Todoroki Raichi!?"_

Eirin's eyes narrowed but still followed his instructions, "Why are you teaching me?" Well, of course she wanted to improve but getting taught how to bat by an opponent was one thing different from the other. She glanced at the kids who were protesting, saying that she shouldn't be a 'tsundere' if she wanted to get the regular position. They did have a point but… Oi, he's from Yakushi and she was spying on them earlier.

"Geez, nee-san, just follow what Raichi-nii says! He's a baseball regular you know!"

" _I know that!"_ the female pitcher mentally shouted ignoring the protests of the small people. "But… is it really fine?" she muttered under her breath and sweat dropped. Seriously, Isashiki-senpai would bury her alive if he learns about this. She doesn't even know what Kataoka would say. Well, if it improves her batting then its fine— No! He's the enemy! She'd rather crawl on the field and beg for Furuya to teach her than use the skill she learned from the foe on the team.

"If you don't want to then I'll just go," Raichi like they say is different on and off the mound. Outside the field, he's more of a shy person who rarely speaks unless you're very close and familiar to him. "You can just let those guys teach you," he was obviously referring to the fourth graders who were about eight to nine years old. About to walk towards the other slots to bat, the fence suddenly shook and a voice called out to him.

"Wait!" when he turned around, he saw Eirin with her cheeks covered in pink, hands tightly gripping on the door. The elementary students gapped along with their female friends, has she always been this pretty? "Uhh… well…" she was fiddling the ends of her shirt, eyes averted, looking at everywhere except Raichi. The other first year stared, face also a bit red. Kami, if Kuramochi-senpai was here he would have scolded her already for being such an idiot. For once… she would swallow her pride to improve. And it's better to learn right? Right!? "Can you…uhh… teach me," she clenched her eyes closed, waiting for the rejection which she expected to come.

Raichi's bat dropped to the ground.

 _Beep. Beep._

"Nee-san! The machine started!" Eirin's eyes immediately widened and she turned her head in front of her. The light lit up green and she swung, missing again. "Swing slowly, that's too fast!" one of the boys advised and she nodded, trying not to look at Raichi who was staring at her dumbfounded. While Eirin was struggling with her bat, the smaller girls decided to crowd around the first year male and give him teasing looks making him blush.

 _Bam!_

"It's alright! We have a lot of coins!" the children took out coins out of their pockets and showed it to her. Kami, even elementary students wanted to help her out _that_ much. Was she that bad? The former ultimate ace of the Ojou White Knights, reigning kings of Koshien. What in the world was happening to her? "Just keep going! Bat and bat and bat and _bat_!" one of them made fierce batting gestures in the air and she gritted her teeth. She didn't need lessons from children, dammit! But hey, she admits that they helped her improve.

"Ahh wait, Raichi-nii what are you doing, help us!" of course they were familiar with him since he always went there. Dragging the player towards their group, he tried to assess what she was lacking. His eyes went to her hands covered in tapes and he wondered if she also practiced batting outside. He saw how she missed—by basically a mile before another pitch was finally thrown from the machine.

 _Clang!_

"Uwaa! First hit! Nee-san, good job!" a girl jumped up and down, excited that she finally made contact with something. Eirin scowled, wanting to hit more since obviously that one just now was a lucky hit. "But were still at 80 km/h, let's aim for 110!" she put her hands in a 'you can do it' fighting position and the boys behind her let out protests saying that since she wanted to be a player she should aim for 200 which was impossible.

Sighing, Raichi opened the door and pressed the button to halt. The children looked at him confusedly along with Eirin before he grabbed her hand and arranged her fingers on the bat, "Keep your grip relaxed as you hold the bat. Your grip will automatically tighten through the swing motion. Are you left handed?" the female pitcher shook her head, slightly dazed. "Right handed?" he looked disturbed when she shook her head again.

"Uhh… ambidextrous,"

His eyes widened in shock before grinning, "Kahaha, no wonder you suck at this."

* * *

"So Sawamura you're from Seido?" Raichi asked grinning at her. He also had someone he admired in that school— their captain, Yuki Tetsuya who was on par if not better than him when it came to hitting. It was about mid-day when they finally finished their lessons at the batting center and she could finally hit properly—he found out that she does not keep her focus on the ball and just swings randomly. "Do you think that you'd get the regular position?" he was kind of hoping that she would, actually.

Eirin tilted her head to the side, in deep thought, "Actually yes, I kind of want to. That's why I'm going to break a leg when it comes to practice!" her unique choice of words made him flinch a bit, terrified if she meant that literally or not. "I still have to polish my pitches though. By then, I'd be under the guidance of Chris-senpai," when she saw her eyes glitter in delight and how she sighed dreamily, Raichi raised a brow. Chris-senpai? Her upperclassmen must be so fond of her—from afar Kuramochi sneezed while Miyuki shivered.

"Kahahaha, let's meet on the field then. Yakushi and Seido might meet each other during a match," during their practice, they had told everything to the other person including the fact that they were from opposite teams—Raichi didn't seem to mind, he looked like he was pretty excited. "And were not going to lose so prepare yourself," he gave her a broad smile, his eyes smiling along with him.

Eirin smirked, eyes maliciously lidding along with her, "Haha, as if we'd lose to a black marlin."

"What did you say—" Raichi was about to protest when they arrived at Yakushi's gate and his teammates caught a glimpse of him. It was only nearly twelve and they already changed out of their uniforms, dressed in their casual clothes —must be the fact that they only practice half of the day during weekends. "Ahh, it's you guys," he casually said, not really interested when his teammates ran towards him and pulled him away from the girl for interrogation.

"Who is she, Raichi!?"

"You know her!?"

"Wait, isn't she—"

"Nee-chan!" a hyper energetic three year old ran towards the girl, squealing as she was picked up by the female pitcher. The rest of the Yakushi team stared—long silky brown hair, cat-like eyes and flawless-beige skin. What was their Raichi doing with a girl like her? "Nii-san was looking for you earlier. Why did you suddenly run away?" she pouted at her and crossed her arms while the female pitcher turned to look at Sanada who stood in front of her with an awkward smile.

"You left this," the pitcher walked towards her showing the cap she accidentally left. Well originally it was a part of her disguise but I guess she didn't notice that she dropped it while running away. "Why'd you run away?" Sanada questioned her as he placed the cap on her head backwards, ignoring her protests of 'put it on properly!' Both of her hands were occupied with Yuka so she couldn't really fix it herself.

The ace then gave her a smile that somehow reminded her of the older Kominato brother—Eirin shivered, "Just tell me why you ran away." His hands were on her shoulders, dark brown eyes fixated on her. Yuka looked back and forth from the two, mesmerized at the scene while Raichi and the others looked baffled.

"They're flirting right?"

"Well I think they're dating so—"

"Nada-senpai," Raichi who was with the group called out, looking a bit serious. Sanada turned to look at his direction and seeing the expression on the first year, he forced a smile on his face. "You know Sawamura?" his eyes were scanning the hands Sanada had on Eirin's shoulders. The female pitcher blinked, not really knowing what was happening along with the Yakushi team. There was silence for a second before Yuka giggled and laughed.

"Hehe, nee-chan and nii-san are dating,"

Sanada and Raichi's teammates whistled, some cheering for them while Sanada grabbed Yuka from Eirin and held her by the wrist with his free hand, "Let's go?" Eirin looked shocked for a moment, not exactly sure what to do so she just let him drag her. Where was he taking her anyway?

"Ahh wait, Raichi!" looking back, she tried to find his figure as they were walking away.

"Thank you for earlier!" Eirin wasn't sure why, but Raichi looked a bit mad when she went.

* * *

Sanada had his head on the coffee table, completely exhausted from carrying Yuka all the way from his school to his house. Eirin blinked from the couch with Yuka behind her, dolling up her hair. Now this was something. Was he just like Furuya? An expert when it came to pitching but didn't actually last long? "Sanada, don't tell me you don't have a lot of stamina?" she expected him to deny it but he actually nodded pretty easily as he grinned at her.

"Yeah, I'm pretty bad at running,"

Eirin owlishly blinked. Well that was quite a weakness for an ace like him. She'd have to remind herself to write that down later. "You didn't really have to chase after me," she said and he frowned at her, it was just a joke since he laughed later on though. Yuka insisted that she should stay with them since it was already lunch time and Eirin had no practice anyway. Now they're stuck in the Sanada household and they just finished eating.

"Ei-chan, Ei-chan, make your lips like this," Yuka patted her on the shoulder, moving in front of her with her right hand holding a small pale pink tube looking as if it contained lipstick. Eirin followed and slightly opened her mouth while the young girl started to apply the strawberry flavored lip balm on her lips. Sanada stared at the two, amazed at the fact that they never run out of topics and how Yuka was so close to Eirin, even going as far as touching her lips. Was this what girls also do? He doesn't know.

The brunette smiled when Yuka finally finished and closed the lid.

"Nii-san," she got off Eirin and went to her cousin who looked confused as so why she was approaching him. Nevertheless, Sanada just hummed as if asking what she needed. "Present," before he knew it, Yuka already placed the lip balm on the table and ran away giggling and squealing, going to his mother who was in the kitchen. The ace's face turned red while Eirin raised a brow, not entirely sure what just happened.

" _Sanada, what's up with him?"_ when she saw him bury his face on the coffee table for no reason, she was a bit curious. And his ears were red, was he… ohh… "Sanada?" Eirin got off the couch and sat next to her friend on the carpet, touching him on his neck and arm. "Did you catch a cold?" when he opened an eye to look at her, all it took was a glimpse unto those golden orbs that flashed with worry and his heart started to skip a beat.

The ace groaned before sitting up properly, facing her in the eye. For a moment they were having a staring contest before he huffed and placed his head on her shoulder. "Seriously," he whispered, loud enough for only the two of them to hear. "You need to stop doing that," her cheeks started to heat up and she tried to separate herself from him only to be stopped by his arm on her waist. S-Should she kick him? No! Bad, Eirin! He's a friend!

"S-Sanada, you're too close," she tried to convince him to move away but he didn't move an inch. The blush on Eirin's cheeks deepened two times darker. "Move… move back a bit," she placed her hands between them, trying to push him back. The ace placed his hands on her wrists, trying to restrain her a bit because even for a girl Eirin had such force. She only paused pushing him away when she saw the look on his eyes. Sanada, when did he look so serious? The female pitcher gulped.

"Why did you run away earlier?" he asked with his eyes on Eirin, not letting her separate her gaze from him. Her eyes wandered everywhere but he followed until they were finally on him. She blushed but he remained humorless, "Ei-chan look at me." His hands were now on her face making her look at him. For a second, her heart skipped a bit and she wondered how Sanada could easily keep his calm when she was a wreck. She… she's never been in this kind of situation before.

"I… didn't want you to see me spying on your team,"

"You already told me that," he replied and her face darkened. Earlier, she revealed the she was sent by the coach to scout the team. Sanada promised not to tell anyone but he didn't seem convinced that that was the only reason. "You ran away. You never run away," they knew each other for more than a month already, of course he knew that she's too determined and stubborn. She's too straightforward for those kind of things, running is never an option for Sawamura Eirin.

"Uhh… I wanted to hide my identity?" she could attempt to play smart for a second but Sanada just raised a brow, not entirely convinced. It was by then her phone decided to ring. Kami, of all people, why did it have to be him? Internally, Eirin was already screaming.

Miyuki Kazuya.

Eirin sighed in relief when Sanada let go of her wrists so she could answer the call, "Miyuki Kazuya, what do you need?" it was the weekend so she had no idea what he wanted to do with her. I mean, there were other people at the dorm. _"I bet he's just doing this because he's bored,"_ she doesn't know if that was the case but he seemed like the type to do so. It didn't matter to her anyway. Sanada just observed her in his peripheral vision, noticing the way she smiled despite looking a bit angry.

" **Hey, have some respect for your senpai,** _ **Sawamura-chan**_ **,"** a tick mark appeared on her forehead. Yep, she was definitely pissed. Why did Miyuki have to constantly tease her about things!? **"I was just wondering where you were since Chris-senpai was looking for you earlier. It was something urgent, or so he said,"** she could hear shuffling in the background along with a couple of shouts. They were looking for her? **"But if you don't have the time then you don't have to,"** she could practically see him grinning at the other side of the line.

"Huh? Tell Chris-senpai that I'll be back this evening—"

" **Where are you anyway?"** Eirin blushed at the question before glancing at Sanada who was laughing. **"You're with someone…"** he sounded a bit dangerous really. Perhaps, he heard…

"Wha— You don't need to know who I'm with Miyuki," the female pitcher defended herself, her tone rising a bit and she could clearly hear him become silent on the other side of the line. "A-Anyway, I'll be back later. You guys don't have to look for me," she immediately added when the catcher still didn't reply. Eirin groaned when a few seconds later he was still silent, "Geez, say something Miyuki Kazuya! I'm hanging up—"

" **Wait,"** her hand paused on the button when he spoke. He seemed hesitant for a second before she could finally hear him openly sigh, **"Just… come back later. You know what happens to Kuramochi when you just disappear without a trace."** Eirin gulped, she received a lecture from him the last time that happened. The female pitcher groaned before nodding. Miyuki gave her his goodbye before she also proceeded to do so and hang up.

"You're close to Miyuki?" Eirin owlishly blinked when he said the catcher's name. Did he know him? Eirin just rapidly shook her head before protesting loudly. Miyuki was just a member on the same team! They were friends but they were not that close… right? Sanada just stared and then frowned. Why did she have to be so popular? And why did everyone have to be wolves— from afar Mei and Miyuki coughed.

* * *

 **Hi guys, sorry for the lack of MiyuSawa scenes, I dunno what to do with them, please give me recommendations because I'm stuck. Like really, really stuck. A lot of things would happen in the next chapter though. And please don't hate Kanemaru for what he did. He's like that in the manga and anime right? Pretty mean to Sawamura at first then turns out to be a big snuggly panda-bear. And yes, in this story, it's still April, the first week of April so they still have a lot of things to go through before they reach the summer camp. I'm planning to make things faster though so that we can progress more.**

 _ **Kore ya kono  
Yuku mo kaeru mo**_

 **Wakarete wa**

 _ **Shiru mo shiranu mo  
Osaka no seki**_

 **Which means…**

 _ **Truly, this is where  
Travelers who go or come **_

_**Over parting ways—**_

 _ **Friends or strangers-all must meet:  
The gate of "Meeting Hill."**_

 **So this poem was mentioned in Eirin's speech. I did my research and in Japan, they usually start their speeches with quotes or poems. The poem is from the infamous Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, those who watch Chihayafuru might understand. It's the tenth poem, Semimaru. Goodbye~! Have a good day guys~! Ciao~!**


	6. Shoujo Manga Rom-Com Chick Flick

**Seraphic Charm**

 **Summary:** _She's was an elite that seems to attract a lot of strangers. First danger then Seido's assistant coach, lots and lots of players, her school's rival team's ace but what about Koshien? Fem!Sawamura._

 **Pairing:** Undecided.

 **Warnings:** _Alternate universe, OOC, canon similarities, unbelievable pitches, Fem!Sawamura and lots of_ cliché scenes.

 **A/N:** Yes, I know that I haven't updated in three months. Most of it is because of prom and laziness. Well most of it is because I'm too lazy and prom is just an excuse but anyway! Here's an extra-long chapter to make up for my unacceptable behavior as an author! I know that I should be updating consistently _but!_ Listen, I know that most people don't read A/N's _but!_ If you read this, know that I'm so sorry that I made this chapter _thirty three_ Microsoft word pages long and _16,000+_ words at length. That's how sorry I am. I still don't know when the next update is and I'm sure that it's going to be a pretty long time. Not more than three months. That's my limit. If I don't update in three months feel free to bombard me with PMs until I freaking reply. I'll do my best to make it happen! I'll update with ten pages if I have to!

Damn, that sounds like a campaign speech.

 **Guest - This was such a detailed and funny chapter! I really like how Eirin is highly intelligent and got the first year representative position! Everyone's reactions was hilarious, especially Jun-senpai's! And Sanada is so daring and forward, so I wonder if he will be Miyuki's rival for Eirin's affections? If she gets back to Seidou, will she tell that she was spying on Yakushi? Or does the Coach only know? I'm really curious to see the team's reactions, especially Miyuki's, about Yakushi and Eirin. I'm looking forward to the future chapters!**

 _Yes, Sanada would be rivals with Miyuki in the future chapters. It would be not that intense, no fist fights but more on glaring and verbal talk. They'd face each other in the mound in the future chapters so yeah. She does tell them that she was spying on Yakushi. That brings on quite a lot of questions from the team. You'd see their reactions in this chapter so I hope that I wrote it well._

 **Guest – can you make haruchi and furuya popular 2?**

 _Of course! Totally! You have no idea how much fun I had in writing this chapter because of your review. Have fun reading the trio's shenanigans!_

And to the people who asked me to update soon, here it is. Please forgive the typos. I beta-read the chapters myself and the story is pretty long so an error is like a dust in space for my sight. I tried to fix most of them as much as possible and I do my best, really! So if you see an error or something out of place I really appreciate it when you point it out. Thanks guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Diamond No Ace or any of its characters. This story is purely fan made and no profit has been made._

 **Chapter Six: Shoujo Manga Rom-Com Chick Flick**

Eirin walked pass the field where the regulars were practicing along with a few second string players. Judging from their voices, she could easily pick out Kuramochi and Isashiki from the bunch due to their volume. It was nearly sundown but the regulars didn't really have a schedule during weekends so some of them ended practice later at times. Usually, she would have stopped on her tracks to greet them but she needed to report to the coach first. Heck, there was also Chris-senpai who wanted to talk to her for who knows what.

"Coach," when she entered the coach's office, Rei, Furuya and Chris were also there much to her surprise. "What's up?" Eirin gave the group a grin despite the serious looks on their faces which made her very confused. Were they playing a prank on her or something? "You guys look uhh… err… scary?" when Furuya walked over towards her and pulled her sleeve down, she flinched and pushed him away. The coach, her childhood friend, mentor and Rei's eyes widened at the sight of her skin, not due to embarrassment but to its discoloration— aside from the bandages that wrapped around her shoulder and upper arm, purple welts were scattered across her skin like a disease. It must have hurt to move and they wondered if some bones were cracked.

"Satoru, what's wrong with you!?" the teen didn't even flinch at the tone of her voice when he saw her put her shirt back in place. His eyes were only focused on her face, anger evident through glassy orbs. Of course— _of course_ , Sawamura was the type to hide things from them, very important ones. Who knows when and how this could've even happened? Eirin on the other hand, looked very nervous and uncomfortable.

"Why didn't you tell us that you were injured?" Furuya asked with the stoic expression that he was known for. "You're going to pull the team down," that wasn't what he meant to say and Eirin knew better so she didn't really take it personally. "How long?" his eyes went to her left shoulder— she couldn't have injured it again without being so reckless and knowing her personality, at one point she must have.

"Well—" when Furuya tugged her sleeve down again, she would've sent him a glare if it wasn't for Chris who was standing beside her giving her a look that said _don't_. "There was that one time I went to Inashiro and—" she shut her mouth tight when she saw the look on the coach and Chris' face. "I was uhh… geez, remember that time I went out late and didn't come back until morning?" she had this forced smile on her face to somehow avoid getting into trouble the more she explained. The coach didn't like anything a single bit.

"You made Kuramochi and Masuko worried, Sawamura,"

"We were looking for you all night,"

"Didn't even answer any of the calls we—"

"Anyway!" she cut off everyone in order to continue her explanation. "It was an omiai and he happened to be a member of Inashiro. I played his team the next day, became a bit reckless and voila! Injury resurrected—" she smiled as if it was a good thing. The coach looked very stern and Chris had that disappointed look on his face. They seemed to believe her enough though— or so she hoped. "His mom was a doctor so she fixed me up. It looks bad but it's not that bad— I'm sorry?" she pleaded making her mentor sigh.

"It doesn't look that serious anymore. It's already more than halfway healed," Rei commented when she finished scanning her injury. "What I want to know is why you used your left arm," the assistant manager pushed her glasses up. "Did you ever consider that playing against them would reveal Seido's cards? Now they know that you're in the team," she did know and consider those consequences— the situation just called for it.

 _The catcher of Inashiro was grinning when the batter hit home— Eirin clenched her fist and switched her mitt to her other hand with a grin. She was already out but it was just a practice game anyway, what harm could it bring? Mei who was in the dug-out smiled when she got into her position, left hand used for throwing, whole body in a perfect flexible wind-up. The batter himself was also in his place but he wouldn't know what's coming— an ambidextrous player was never heard of before._

"Gave them a good ol' left handed pitch and bam! The catcher didn't even catch—"

"Sawamura," Chris cut in and she blinked, smiling up at him with a very sunny smile. "You won't be playing for a week. Do not pitch in the time being, heal first," the coach nodded at the idea. She obviously wouldn't be able to play with that kind of injury despite being halfway through recovery. "This would teach you not to be reckless," honestly speaking there were times in which Chris didn't even know how to handle her protégé. Eirin frowned but nodded, obeying nonetheless— it was Chris-senpai, what was she supposed to do then?

"And ohh, I went to Yakushi today, here," when she handed the coach her notepad filled with information, the room darkened. Perhaps it would be good not to send her as a spy next time, she kept attracting weirdoes— especially those who were rivals with Seido or somehow involved in the baseball team. Seriously, if it wasn't some sort of coincidence due to her popularity, some sort of scary shit must be happening around her— there was no way she'd be so close to their archenemies. Or like Isashiki-senpai said, she's just reading too much shojou manga that her life is starting to get influenced by it.

Anyway, back to the main topic— how did Chris-senpai even know she was injured?

Furuya shivered.

* * *

"So… who was that guy?"

The water Eirin was drinking all of a sudden got stuck in her throat— damn it! First of all she was just eating peacefully with her co-first years and Miyuki Kazuya comes barging in all of a sudden, wanting to sit with them so now their table is filled with regulars and third years. They have a completely reserved seat over there! _All the way_ to the side, not here. The female pitcher grimaced when Miyuki grinned and all eyes turned curious. _Dammit!_ How does she explain the fact that she was in Sanada's house!? Seido's _enemy_ , antithetis, one of the players they _hate_ the most—

"Uhh… you don't need to know _Miyuki Kazuya_ ," at first she was nervous and hesitant before she leaned over with the smuggest expression on her face. She just couldn't find an excuse, really. Miyuki cursed her under his breath. "He was just a… uhh... friend," well that was not a lie, that was true. Sanada was a friend. Or was he? Since he was an enemy of Seido does that mean that they're rivals? Are they or are they not friends— now she's getting confused. Eirin finally settled on deeming him as a friend. She was close to his cousin anyway.

"What are you talking about, Miyuki?" Eirin hoped that Miyuki would just leave it alone because she wouldn't live it down if Chris-senpai out of all the people in the universe— _'she has a boyfriend, Chris-senpai'_ — dammit, Miyuki Kazuya! "A boyfriend?" Chris looked at Eirin who was shaking in her seat. How did she get in this situation again? All of a sudden the baseball club turned into a police interrogation police force.

"Yeah, I heard a _guy's_ voice over the phone,"

Kuramochi gave her a glare that said _no, you weren't talking to Sanada again._

Eirin slightly huffed, nervous, "I was with a friend. The boss asked me to scout Yakushi and— uhh, Spitz-senpai?" Isashiki was giving her _the_ look. He knew that she wasn't telling them everything. And why would the coach ask her to scout Yakushi!? "Well uhh… he's also a pitcher on the team and—" by then all hell broke loose— Kuramochi was rather calm about it though while Miyuki was grinning madly like a Cheshire cat. She didn't really like explaining that much either. She'd just rather drown in her own destiny. Goodbye world.

"Yakushi!?""

"Pitcher!?"

"Oi, Bakamura! How dare you have connections with the opposing team!"

Kuramochi smirked at the other side of the table and Eirin glared at him. Of course he knows because he stole her phone before. "It's the guy she's always texting. Right, Sawamura?" somehow when the shortstop grinned, a chill climbed up Eirin's spine. Masuko gave her a puzzled look— now it made sense. "Okay, so let me get this right. You have a childhood friend who has a crush on you, an omiai partner we don't know about and a Yakushi opponent as a boyfriend," Eirin rapidly shook her head while Furuya turned red.

"What's up with him?" Isashiki asked a bit weirded out— first years were so damn strange.

"F-First of all, that omiai partner you're talking about doesn't exist! It was just a meeting with my grandfather's student and her son. I don't have a boyfriend and Furuya's not in love with me!"

"Furuya? Why are you talking about Furuya?"

"Uh… he's also childhood friends with Ei-chan, senpai," the younger Kominato answered on behalf of his friend. The regulars' eyes turned to Furuya who still had a tinge of red on his face. "But you were referring to Yamato, correct?" Isashiki's eyes narrowed in confusion. "They have known each other since… middle school?" Haruichi looked at Eirin and Furuya who nodded.

Miyuki stared. What's up with this shoujo manga rom-com chick flick situation!?

"Ehh?"

* * *

Miyuki and Kuramochi stared weirdly at their classmates who were constantly chatting about the new students. Apparently, boys had this radar for new cute students that entered the school— girls were worse. The pair were also a bit popular themselves, especially Miyuki, not that he was complaining or anything. The canteen seemed to be a very good place of gossip and one table seemed particularly empty despite it being so crowded. The catcher raised a brow at the commotion being made.

"The first year batch this year is scary as fuck, dude. We had dodgeball in P.E. class together with 1-B and we _literally_ had to _dodge_ to _save_ our lives. It was terrifying since one guy had a very good throwing arm. He's a freaking monster," Miyuki's former classmate said while eating. If you looked closely, you could see the tears in his eyes. The shortstop's grin stopped and furrowed into a frown— _first year? Class B? Throw? Monster?_

"The guy with pink hair was also very athletic, he ran so fast. How could he even see with all that hair covering his eyes?" another one complained. Miyuki choke on his food— _pink hair? Fast?_ "He had very good dodgeball defenses. _Our_ class, the _second_ years _lost_ ," okay, now this was starting to get creepy. "First years and their damned abilities getting popularity on their first month of school!" he started to eat with a pitiful expression on his face.

"By the way, did you get _her_ number?" another pair started to talk.

"Whose number?" Miyuki who was curious, barged in and asked. When they referred to _her_ , it couldn't be _her_ , right? What were the chances? One in a thousand? There were a lot of girls in Seido afterall.

" _Her!_ "

"Yes _her!"_

"Who is _her!?"_

"Ehh!? Miyuki, you don't know?" Kuramochi and Miyuki raised a brow at the continuous questions. Damn it, couldn't they just use names!? "She's very pretty with her long brown hair, golden eyes and angel-like features. First year-representative, Sawamura—"

 _Creak._

And like a scene taken out of a shoujo manga, the canteen door opened. Cue the canteen sound system to play. From afar you could hear Isashiki-senpai curse.

"Kami, hell no," Kuramochi muttered under his breath, shaking his head while each and every head in the cafeteria turned to the group who just entered. Miyuki grinned.

"Look at that group. Apparently they're not from Tokyo,"

"Isn't it obvious? They look so different! Girls from Nagano are obviously the prettiest,"

"I heard that they joined the baseball club. They already have enough popularity there,"

"Hah! You're lying. There's no way you got a high score in your test today, Satoru. Harucchi told me that you sleep in class. _Every. Single. Time._ The boss is not going to be happy," the girl who stood between the two guys shook her head and grinned teasingly at her childhood friend who seemed to be dozing off despite walking. "The club is going to get blamed at this point and it's all going to be your fault! Think about the consequences!" Furuya glared at her for the deja-vu, those were obviously Rei's words to her the last time she got scolded.

"At least I'm not banned from practice for a week,"

"What did you say, Sato—"

"Guys, stop it!" the younger Kominato who was the most timid of the bunch stood between the two. "You guys are causing a scene, see?" he glanced at the people around them as if saying something. Miyuki sweat dropped because of course it was the golden trio. And he was pretty sure that they weren't starring because of the commotion but because of their reputation. The baseball club was not an organization for idols —Eirin was already enough, please don't add Furuya and Haruichi to the bunch, thank you very much.

"Well, if you say so Harucchi," it was his soothing calm voice that made her oblige— totally different to her childhood friend's mocking voice that did nothing to soothe both of their ego. "Look, that table's free. Were on the same table again as yesterday, weird huh," she ended her sentence with laughter when they sat down. Furuya shook his shoulders while Haruichi tried to go with her strange topic. Kuramochi who was sitting three tables away from them _stared_ — it wasn't a coincidence, people must have left if unoccupied on purpose. It was so damn _weird_ seeing his roommate surrounded by people.

"A-Ano, are you Furuya-kun from the baseball club?" one particularly cute girl with long black hair came up to their table and asked— a blush covering her face. Eirin grinned behind her hand while Haruichi flushed red. "Umm, this… if you have the time please read it, thank you very much," she gave him a rather cute looking, pale pink envelope before running away. Furuya stared before sighing and putting the piece of paper on the table. The female pitcher burst out into laughter at his expression.

"Satoru, that's like the third time someone confessed to you this month. Be happy for a bit—ow!" she was cut off by a karate chop on the top of her head. Eirin turned to scowl at her attacker, "What was that for— Isahiki-senpai! Yuuki-san!" her face immediately lit up at the sight of a very irritated upperclassman and calm captain. Furuya and Haruichi immediately stood up to slightly lower their heads and greet— they had to make Eirin bow since respect was easily forgotten in her vocabulary.

"What was that all about you three!? I can't believe you entered a public place like that. Especially you, Sawamura!" a tick mark appeared on his forehead and the three somehow backed away unconsciously. Uhh, wha— _what_? Furuya's eyebrows knitted in confusion, "Don't act like you don't know! Stop acting cool by entering the cafeteria as if you're the most popular bunch in a freaking shoujo manga! You morons!" Haruichi sweat dropped because— one, they just entered the place normally and two, uhhm… Isashiki-senpai, how do you that it happens in shoujo mangas.

"We won't do it again?" How did they even do it anyway in the first place?

Isashiki groaned and shook his head, "Why are you guys even together? If I remember clearly, the three of you ate separately during the first week of school and you—" he pointed unto the female pitcher who blinked pointing at herself, "—kept pestering Chris to eat with you. Did you guys change plans or what? It's making a commotion you know." He pointed unto the eyes that stared at their group.

Haruichi forced a laugh before replying, "…actually,"

* * *

Kuramochi almost choked on the water he was drinking, "Sawamura has a stalker!?" some of the first year members of the club who were seated near them gave them wary glances. Daily practice had just ended so all that was left was the bath and dinner. Currently, they were eating so it was a very good time for some sort of gossip. "But isn't she going to be fine? I mean… she's Sawamura after all," well, now that you think about it, it did kind of make sense but anyway!

Miyuki glared at the short stop before making a shushing gesture, "You're too loud! Her stalker might be a member of the club!" Kuramochi raised a brow as if questioning him. "Apparently, Haruichi saw some guys of another class looking at pictures of her. Jun-san and Yuuki-san told me!" the other teen looked unbothered anyhow. "Isn't that creepy? What if they have pictures of your roommate naked or stuff?" that was the moment Kuramochi started to get a little bit bothered.

"That's why those three are always together?"

"They said that they're hunting for him during lunch time since they're too busy after school,"

Kuramochi laughed before standing up his seat, "She'll be fine. She's like the brashest, loudest and most annoying person I know. If there's a stalker, we'll find him easily anyway." Miyuki sighed when he saw him walk away. Perhaps the shortstop had a bit too much faith on their pitcher sometimes… just a little bit. _"Since its Sawamura, I'm sure that she's not bothered,"_ when he arrived in the room he shared with Eirin and Masuko, the two were already playing a golf tournament on the console.

"Sawamura-chan is good at this game," the third year commented when the score popped up on the screen. Eirin had managed to place second on the record game list while he was on the upper tens.

"Kufufu," she laughed like a vampire— it was obviously an impression of a character of some sort. "We already played this game a lot. Masuko-senpai, you just need to practice! I'm sure that you'd be able to beat Kuramochi-senpai's high score in no time with ease!" she pointed at the top score on the screen. Well it was Kuramochi's game so of course he's got the best score out of the bunch— it was just some sort of excuse but it assured them anyway.

"Still banned from practice, Bakamura?" the shortstop questioned before taking his place on the floor beside the two. It has only been four days since she was not allowed to join practice but it already seemed like eternity— or so it seemed for Eirin. The pitcher scowled and muttered a chain of incoherent words under her breath, throwing silent insults at her upperclassman for bringing up such a sensitive topic. "We have a match next Tuesday, you know," by then she would still not be allowed to join without much practice attendance… or so they think.

Eirin twitched and Kuramochi looked at her weirdly.

* * *

"Sawamura-chan~!" one of her classmates called out during lunch. He swung an arm around her shoulder and Eirin blinked, not knowing what was going on. She was on her way to fetch Furuya and Haruichi to eat but she was stopped all of a sudden by… what was his name again? He was in her class but she couldn't remember. "How are you?" he gave an overly sweet smile that somehow reminded her of herself. She was always that cheerful and bright. Eirin couldn't help but cringe. Was she also this annoying?

"W-What's up?" she couldn't help but somehow back away looking completely uncomfortable at the sudden contact. "U-Uetake-san?" the female pitcher raised her brows, not really sure. The guy laughed before nodding at her expression. She does remember his name… or so it seems. "Do you uhh… need anything?" her friends classroom was just meters away and students were already going out of their rooms. Standing in the hallway with a guy's arm draped all over her shoulders— even Eirin's not that dense.

"I wanted to join the baseball team so I wanted to ask you a few questions," he took his arm off her and to Eirin when he did that he seemed so much more friendly. The girl's eyes lit up when he mentioned the word _baseball_. The guy laughed, "You're smart and friendly, plus you're in the team so I figured that you knew a lot about baseball. Would you mind?" He scratched the back of his neck, slightly blushing while he lowered his head. Eirin broke into a very bright, cheerful grin. Ohh…

"Talk to you about baseball for a bit? No, not at all. I would love to! " she shook her head before smiling at him. He seemed genuinely interested about the sport. Plus, it would be fun to have more people playing right? "I'll tell you everything you need to know," she gave him a smile— it wasn't meant to flirt or anything but the guy blushed. He couldn't help it. Mention anything about baseball and she would just be thrilled. Heck, if baseball was a human being she would gladly marry him without hesitating.

"So… meet me at the library after class?" Eirin nodded— she had nothing to do and was banned from practice anyway. "Great, can't wait to see you! I'll be waiting okay?" he gave her a wave of goodbye before running towards the opposite direction. The pitcher smiled and waved back at him until he was out of sight. What's up with this!? Kinda reminds her of the shoujo manga she just read.

"Who was that?" a taller figure loomed behind her, over her shoulder giving her the shivers.

"Wha— Satoru, you idiot! What was that for? You just shaved ten years off my life span you dimwit!" when she tried to give him a karate chop he successfully dodged to the side. She should really stop hanging out with Isashiki-senpai… his actions and insults were starting to rub on her. "Don't dodge! Let me hit you," she pointed a finger at him and he sighed before finally standing still. Eirin nudged him on his side— strong enough to make him twitch. Damned female was stronger than she looked.

"That my friend was Uetake-kun, my classmate. What took you guys so long?" Haruichi stared at Furuya who looked like he was so done for life and Eirin who had a massive grin on her face. "I was waiting for years. Years I tell you, years," she crossed her arms and they started to walk towards the canteen.

The younger Kominato who stood beside her asked, "What did he want to talk about, Ei-chan?"

Kami, thank him because Furuya also wanted to ask that. Eirin grinned before shaking her head, "No, nothing much. He wants to join the team so he probably figured to ask me for advice. I'm banned from practice and all so we're meeting up after school at the library." Furuya and Haruichi stopped on their tracks while Eirin turned to give them the brightest smile they have ever seen. "He seems like a nice guy," Haruichi silently clenched his fists.

* * *

Miyuki blinked at Furuya and Haruichi, "Sawamura's not with you guys for once?" Practice had just ended and Chris-senpai has been told not to give Eirin any training for the past week. Her mentor was present in the dug-out, he always was. Eirin, even though banned, still attended practice to observe though seeing her not around today was kind of different. "First year representative issues?" Miyuki teased with a massive grin on his face.

Haruichi shook his head, "Ei-chan's meeting up with her classmate… Uetake-kun."

The regulars paused on their places while Jun seethed, "Oi! Isn't that a date? Damned Sawamura still has the time for boyfriends when she's all occupied with baseball? The coach is going to get mad at her." Well, some of the third-string players had girlfriends of their own and Kataoka never said anything about it— the regulars themselves just prefer to stay single for the sake of baseball itself. "What if he's that stalker guy you two were talking about?" Furuya and Haruichi froze on their places.

Chris looked at Jun, "stalker?"

The vice-captain scoffed, "Someone's following her these days. They don't know who but she said that it was starting to get on her nerves. Kinda comes and go with the whole popularity thing." He explained, looking a bit shocked when the catcher simply hummed in concern. "Chris, she didn't tell you?" when the girl's mentor shook his head, the room became silent— _what?_

"But isn't it normal? Since she's from an elite school and all— everyone wants to talk to her. I'm sure that it'll disappear soon,"

"Hah, sure will. They'll run away once they figure out how brash and unfeminine she is,"

Miyuki raised a brow, not really convinced. Sure she may act less of a girl than others are but that's only around people she was comfortable with. Towards the public eye she was this perfect, ideal icon. "It's getting pretty late," he reminded the group. Manner or not, Eirin was a girl and girls shouldn't stay out late. Not under the baseball team's watch. And she's going to get scolded later for meeting up with some random guy for who knows what reason.

Haruichi silently stared at the door before clenching his fists, "I-I'll head out first. See you guys at dinner later." His teammates looked at him weirdly when he exited the field. His heart was pounding in his chest and there was this foul feeling that overcame his system. Something was not right.

" _No, nothing much. He wants to join the team so he probably figured to ask me for advice. I'm banned from practice and all so we're meeting up after school at the library." Furuya and Haruichi stopped on their tracks while Eirin turned to give them the brightest smile they have ever seen._

Eirin was always the type to trust people easily. His face slackened; fringe covered-eyes darted about in concern as if he was searching for a place to hide. School ended more than two hours ago— they have not been talking for such a long time, right? The sun was sinking fast now; the sky had turned to a clear, purple-tinged grey, but to the west there was a ruby-red glow.

" _He seems like a nice guy,"_

When he reached the library, Haruichi tried to open the door as gently as he could. The place itself was deserted— kind of understandable since it was already late and most students do not stay in the dorm aside from baseball athletes. With silent steps he entered the room to see if his friend was there. If he remembered clearly, they were supposed to meet at this place. It would only shock him further more if ever he found his friend still here. Walking a meter past the shelves and towards the tables, Haruichi slightly gasped when he saw her on one of the seats.

He'd see the other boys trip over themselves in her presence—she was that beautiful. Haruichi refused to be like that with anyone just because they were born with a more symmetrical face. The sight in front of him was a beautiful picture— the sunset in the background and the light reflecting on Eirin's delicate features. She didn't really look like she belonged here anyway, she was like a magazine cut-out dropped onto the Seido sidewalk. Haruichi would've thought nothing went wrong if it wasn't for the unusual look on his friend's face. Eirin looked rather calm reading that letter on her hand.

"Ei-chan?" he unconsciously called out and the paper in her hand crumpled as her head turned towards him. Haruichi frowned when he saw her startled expression turn into a forced smile. "Are you… Are you done talking to him?" he doesn't know why he bothered to ask that. Obviously they were finished talking to each other since she was the only one left in the library. Somehow it kind of pissed him off to just see him leave her in this place alone.

"Y-Yeah," Eirin stood up her seat after she folded the paper back unto the envelope on the table. "Harucchi, you finished practice already?" his eyes followed her hands when she tucked the envelope in her skirt's pocket. Haruichi stared at her— Eirin was being very finicky. And did she just lose track of the time? She was also in the baseball club so she obviously knew what time practice usually ended.

"Did he confess?" that would be the only explanation he could think of for the envelope so when Eirin shook her head, he was left confused.

"Nah, we just talked,"

* * *

 _Bam!_

The students around her turned their heads towards her direction when she slammed her shoe locker shut. Eirin's eyes were wide and shaking— Haruno gave her an odd, worried look. "Ei-chan, are you alright?" she was one of the baseball team's managers— also one of her closest friends. "You look pale. Are you perhaps not feeling well?" Eirin looked like she just saw something terrifying like a ghost in broad daylight. The manager couldn't help but worry.

The female pitcher shook her head, "I-It's nothing. I'm sorry for worrying you Haruno-chan."

"Well, if you say so," the manager couldn't help but nod at her assurance.

Lunch that day with Furuya and Haruichi was strange. Haruichi's usually too shy to start conversations and Furuya's just as silent as a mouse. Having Eirin not in the mood just made the group totally peaceful— which was just plain weird. The female pitcher was staring unto a distance with a half-eaten melon bread on her hand. She didn't even notice the two staring at her. Being this silent made her friends worried. Even the third years who were seated on the other side of the cafeteria looked at her weirdly.

"Stalker?" the captain asked—that was the only explanation he could think of. "Sawamura is very good at shogi. She lost last night," Kuramochi almost drowned in his packet of juice because that just adds to their list of worries. Eirin always wins in shogi. She always does— probably because of her addiction to historical stuff. "And the lady gave her a bowl of natto for breakfast, she didn't complain and ate it," Miyuki raised a brow. She despises natto. Why in the world would she eat it?

"She also went to bed early last night, uga," Masuko added.

Isashiki gritted his teeth— he usually had to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the trio's room because of Eirin's midnight crying tendencies and the blaring light from their window when all of Tokyo had gone to sleep. He had to threaten to burn her shoujo manga and Kuramochi's console so that they'd all go to bed. "What if she's finally lost it?" the vice-captain muttered under his breath. He didn't intend for everyone on their table to hear but they did. And they admit… it does make sense.

"Do you think she's rebelling because the coach banned her from practice?"

"Probably… she's an idiot when it comes to baseball,"

Miyuki just went back to eating his lunch.

"Ei-chan," Haruichi waved a hand in front of her in hopes of catching her attention. "You alright?" he asked, looking very worried. Furuya was also concerned although it did not show on his face. "You seem dazed," the younger Kominato had his hunch that the letter had something to do with this but he kept quiet. "You only took a bite. Lunch is ending soon," when golden eyes finally blinked and turned to him, he sighed in relief.

"Ohh…"

* * *

"Sawamura's weird, so damn weird," Isashiki and Kuramochi muttered under their breaths occasionally.

 _Clang!_

"Really, that kid's abilities are unbelievable. Who knew that he could bat so well," Ota Kuzuyoshi, club president of Seido's baseball team, also a history teacher of the school, commented grinning unto Furuya's direction. "With that slug, it'd be a waste to keep him on the bench," Kataoka merely observed the pitcher hitting the balls coming at him into various directions. He rarely missed — Furuya was a totally different player from Eirin. Perhaps it was the expression on his face but the pitcher looked like he wanted to throw rather than to bat.

 _Clang!_

" _This guy is hitting to left field, center field and right field in sequential order,"_ the catcher behind Haruichi looked terrified when he noticed the unusual pattern. You could rarely see batters forcing the ball's direction unto the spot they want since it was _that_ difficult. Well the regulars were also able to do it but a _first year_!? When the younger Kominato smiled and muttered that he should go for a home run next, the catcher slightly gasped. The other members who were watching Furuya and Haruichi bat also looked baffled at the scene.

 _Clang!_

"Those guys are too strong. How can they bat like that? They're only first years!"

"Ryosuke's little brother looks like he'll be promoted to the first string,"

"Dammit, I hate it when new guys join every year," a player said out loud, some of them nodding with him. They were already in their third and last year yet they never stood a chance nor got the coach to notice them for their abilities. "We used to be team leaders at our middle schools but we can't even get on the bench at Seido," the nearest they got to the mound was on the stands cheering and watching the regulars play. They just might as well be managers since at least they were sometimes allowed in the dugout to help the players.

"What's more those guys are monsters," one of them was obviously referring to the regulars. If you wanted to be on the official team, you had to be _better_ or not on par with them. At first during their first year they were determined but as time went on, the possibility lessened and it seemed so impossible. "They work harder than anyone. We don't stand a chance," they acknowledged those who were in the first string since they saw how hard they trained, it was not an easy feat. The players sighed before looking at each other.

"Were no match for them but everyone still practices with all they've got," it was just the second week of April and they already looked like they were relieved. "We don't want to have any regrets. Even if we can't play in a match, we still want to fight on with these guys," three years is a very long time, they'd be happy to support Seido even if it meant that they'd be sitting on the stand and not on the dugout like they wished to. "What we mean it that. Well, we just want to say—" they didn't even know who they were talking to but all of a sudden, realization came to them.

"We can't quit now, quitting means that we've ruined three years of hard work!"

"Damn it, I've never got a girlfriend these past three years—"

"Idiot! We're not talking about that!" well most of the members in the first string were popular since they participated in matches and girls found their abilities cool. Damn it, if they would just step down for a day and give the position to those who yearn. Even Masuko got friendlier with girls unlike during his first year when they were too scared to talk to him. Most of them don't stand a chance against Miyuki though— the catcher is too popular for his own sake and he always gloats about it at them.

"W-Why are the upperclassmen so worked up?" the first years who were running stared at the third years weirdly. They just started shouting out of the blue so it can't be normal, right? The freshmen flinched when the seniors walked towards them and scolded them for slacking off. It was always like this in Seido, rowdy and noisy— completely different to Ojou whose organized and filed. Only one thing was common, the competitiveness. No matter where you go, everyone wanted a position on the starting line-up.

" _I know why you're here in Seido," Uetake leaned over the table with a grin on his face. "I heard that something incredible happened back there in Ojou. News travels fast, ehh?"_

Eirin twitched and stared at the third years who were talking to their underclassmen, _"He doesn't know anything about you."_ Her hands unconsciously clenched when her eyes landed on Chris who was talking to the coach about the players' training schedule. _"Chris-senpai was also on the starting lineup last year,"_ Furuya and Haruichi worriedly glanced at her when they noticed Eirin's hand on her left shoulder. After the incident with Chris, almost everyone in the team knew of her injury.

" _Did you join the baseball team again for fun?" her classmate laughed._

" _Everyone wants a position on the team,"_ her eyebrows knitted with each other when she felt a sudden throb on her left shoulder. " _Koshien, they need to go to Koshien,"_ Furuya and Haruichi, they also wanted to be regulars. Wasn't that everyone's purpose as to why they joined the baseball club— to play in matches and aim for the nationals as a team?

" _Why is she even here in Seido anyway? I bet she just joined the baseball club to kill time,"_

Eirin flinched when she remembered what Kanemaru said during the first day of school.

"Eirin," Furuya was the first one who approached her, dropping his bat along the way. He wasn't sure what kind of expression she had since her bangs covered her eyes, completely hiding those shades of medallion. Unconsciously, her grip on her shoulder tightened, sharp nails digging unto her uniform and skin. "Eirin!" by then he was already shaking her gently, trying to snap her out of her daze. The regulars looked towards their direction—they had never heard someone as quiet as Furuya shout. Haruichi immediately rushed towards his friends while Kataoka looked at Chris and nodded.

" _Your scholarship, was Seido your last resort?" Eirin shivered at his words._

"Snap out of it," Furuya's hands were all over her face when he blinked and finally noticed him. Her childhood friend had his eyebrows knitted together, obviously in worry while Haruichi stood beside him looking as equally concerned. "Your hand," his left hand overlapped hers, trying to pry it away from her shoulder. Unconsciously, she lessened her grip, confused as to why Furuya was acting like this.

"Ei-chan, are you alright?" the younger Kominato asked while the other regulars and Chris were already running towards them.

" _Or did you switch schools because you got bored?" his voice was poison to her system._

Then, everything turned black.

* * *

"….panic…much… should…rest…being," incoherent voices filled her mindscape and when she opened her eyes a sea of white flooded her vision. Her left arm seemed numb— a similar feeling to what she experienced a couple of years ago. Her lashes were barely resting on her cheeks— she somehow felt too tired to keep her eyes open. The room had a stagnant smell, like it's cleaned with disinfectant instead of plain water. Was she at the hospital again? "Do you… because of stress?" this time Eirin found herself hearing things a bit more clear and louder. The voice sounded familiar but too gentle and worried— _grandfather?_

"Hime-sama!" she slightly turned her head to see Mei out of all people standing beside hospital bed. What was he doing here? "See! You should've just transferred to Inashiro when all of this started! It's their entire fault! I can't believe they didn't even notice, those idiots!" he looked fairly pissed, alright. The blonde just kept on complaining when her eyes focused unto others— Mei's mother, her grandfather and two other doctors were present in her room. "They didn't even bother to visit," his mother elbowed him on the side and the pitcher slightly groaned in pain.

"Don't listen to him, Eirin-chan. I'm sure that your teammates are just as worried as we are," Mira said with a smile which made her son sweat drop. "How are you feeling?" the woman came closer and took her hand to look at her nails— they usually indicated if someone was in pain since they turn purple when someone is suffocated. "Something must have happened at school?" at this Mei would've said something if it wasn't for the glare that his own mother was sending him.

"I feel like I've been hit by a hammer on the head and fell on concrete— tsk,"

"You shouldn't move for the time being, Eirin-chan. You did a pretty nasty damage to your injury," Eirin's eyes turned to her left shoulder which was covered in bandages. Great, now she'd be banned from practice longer. "Do you need anything?" the female pitcher shook her head while Mei sighed and sat on the chair next to her bed. "Your friend told us that you were having a panic attack. Can you tell us what caused it?" her tone was soft and gentle— almost as if she was talking to a child.

"I don't know,"

"You don't know?" Eirin nodded her head and her grandfather sighed.

"This never happened when you were in Ojou. Perhaps I should consider Narumiya's suggestion to transfer you to Inashiro," when it came to talking to her, her grandfather's voice was always stern and serious if not reprimanding. Eirin's eyes shot up towards him looking as if she was startled. "One way or another, baseball is going to ruin you mentally and physically," there was something oddly convincing at the tone of his voice and the way he crossed his arms.

"You can't do that,"

"After seeing you injured twice in a row? I sure can," Eirin clenched her fists. She _needed_ to go to Koshien, she needed _them_ to go to Koshien. "Unless you give me a proper reason as to why I should let you continue. You've been playing baseball for a long time already," usually her grandfather was playful, dramatic and somehow similar to her. It somehow scared her to see him this serious and worried. "You keep making wrong choices," her chest felt tight and her breath stilled— _no_ , it wasn't a wrong choice. Seido is not a wrong choice. Baseball was not a wrong choice.

"Do you want to go back to Nagano?"

Eirin shook her head and Mei looked at her worriedly.

* * *

 _Bam!_

"Kuramochi-senpai!"

Hands were tightly clenched on the terrified student's collar as he dropped the pictures he was holding. Haruichi was about to stop the two when Miyuki pulled him back with a humorless expression on his face. The younger Kominato was about to say something when he saw the looks on the other members' faces. Furuya looked the same yet his hands were tightly clenched, Chris was silently staring with dread in his eyes while Isashiki and Masuko were obviously pissed off. The captain and Kawakami also looked a bit disturbed.

"You've kept it up for two weeks straight," the shortstop was obviously pissed off and the first year student in front of him was terrified. "What do you think you were doing spreading those pictures around?" as unfair it may seem, most of them had already lost their cool to actually have pity on the student who they didn't even know the name. Haruichi mentioned Uetake before but they didn't really care about his label anymore. "You even tried to blackmail. What were you two talking about?" Miyuki who was staring at the two shivered because— one, he's an asshole and not a pitiful excuse of a human being and two, picking a fight with a baseball club member, really? Let him remind them that they had over fifty active players on the run.

"L-Let me go," the shortstop's grip only tightened.

Miyuki walked towards the two before bending down and picking up one of the many photos on the ground. "What's with you guys taking photos of girls undressing?" it was a picture of the female pitcher raising her shirt halfway— most likely taken during them changing for P.E. class. "And people pay for this? I would like two sets of Sawamura-chan during baseball practice— _ow_!" the catcher groaned when he was elbowed on the side by the girl's very pissed off roommate. He still grinned by the end though.

"Sawamura-chan forgot to lock her shoe locker," Masuko said— that was how they found out about the pictures spreading around the school. Haruno had told them about Eirin's strange behavior that morning before class.

"The coach is not going to like this," Furuya commented making Haruichi sigh— _all_ of them are going to be in trouble. "We have a match next Tuesday," if any of them got into a fight and the faculty decided to not let them participate in practice or any of the games then they're dead — literally dead. "And I think Eirin would prefer to beat him up personally," well there was also that but.

"Ohh, and add to the fantasies of this guy? No thank you, _kaibutsu-kun_ ,"

Haruichi blinked, what was Miyuki talking about?

"Kyahaha, I'd rather take care of him myself Furuya," a sarcastic grin appeared on Kuramochi's face and the guy struggled to get free. Well even if he did they doubted that he could outrun their shortstop anyway. "Oi! Give me that baseball bat you're holding, will you!?" he commanded out of the blue making the second and third years startled for a bit. The two first years on the other hand— yes, even Haruichi decided to comply because hey, it's respect for your upperclassman.

"Do we knock him out?"

"Just hit him hard enough he'd have amnesia,"

"Kuramochi, stop," Chris was the one who stepped forward first. He was holding the envelope they found in the trio's room— the said female pitcher didn't even hide it in a good place. "I'm sure that the teachers would give him enough punishment to make up for this commotion," logically speaking he was correct. Their coach, Kataoka was a history teacher— he was terrifying enough. The shortstop frowned before letting go of the student's collar forcefully, strong enough to push him on the ground.

"No, I don't think so. No one messes with the baseball club! Oi, Kuramochi, Furuya, Kominato! Hurry and beat up that bastard!" Isashiki was not helping the situation one bit. "He needs to learn his lesson the hard way, _kora_!" Kawakami sweat dropped because— uhmm… senpai, uhmm… I don't think that violence solves everything.

"I-It's not my fault! Do you guys know why she's even here in Seido!?" the guy on the ground screamed while raising his hands in front of his face, a very defensive position. "She was asking for it!" by then, even Miyuki who was usually mischievous had a frown on his face. "I bet that bitch likes the attention she receives from you guys! Why else would she join the baseball club—"

"What did you say?" Kuramochi's tone sounded baffled. The guy became horror-struck when the shortstop grabbed him by the collar for the second time of the day. This time, no one even tried to say something to stop him. Chris looked at the scene with a stoic expression but was definitely not pleased at Uetake. This was his protégé he was talking about. "You sounded really pathetic for a second so I couldn't quite hear you," the guy looked up at the older teen's figure looming over him.

Miyuki smirked before walking towards the two.

* * *

"I heard that we have a match this Tuesday," Furuya who was seating beside Eirin's bed flinched. His hands had also stopped peeling the apples he was holding— please do not ask how he ended up in such position. Chris who was observing the two chat also sighed because she would definitely ask them to let her join despite the injury she has. Haruichi looked torn since he was also worried — if they let her join her physical health is in danger. If they don't let her join, her mental health is in danger since everyone knows she that can't handle being away from baseball for a long time. Anyway, no matter what they choose she's still in danger. The younger Kominato frowned.

"What's the line-up?" Furuya's eyes turned towards Chris. He was a third year so he'd be able to handle this kind of situation right? Kami, why did they even agree to visit her in the first place? Everyone insisted for them to go since they were her fellow first years and Chris was her mentor but this deemed to be tougher than they imagined.

"My one week ban would end on Monday so I'd be able to play by then,"

Chris stared at her, of course she didn't forget about her ban lift. "When are you going to be released, Sawamura? I heard that Kuramochi and Miyuki visited you yesterday after school," it was Saturday so they were stuck with her the whole day. Haruichi smiled a bit because Chris had always managed to change Eirin's focus to another subject as usual.

"Hmm, I've been here since Thursday and Mira-san said that they still had to take more tests just to make sure so… probably tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, I'd be back to school this Monday. I can't wait for Chris-senpai to catch my pitches!" one would've thought that the sparkles in her eyes and the flowers around her were some sort of phenomenon but sadly, the members of Seido's baseball club were already used to it so it wasn't really that unusual— for her to fawn over Chris-senpai that is.

"Tests?"

"Eitoku-ji found someone who could permanently fix my injury," all eyes widened and turned unto her. Eirin had a solemn expression on her face— how long had she been planning this? "I figured that in order to go to Koshien with you guys I need both of my hands," when she shot a sad smile towards their direction, Haruichi couldn't help but frown. "For now all I can do is pitch right-handedly though," Furuya doesn't know how she always manages to sound positive and cheerful despite the circumstances. "Chris-senpai has to wait until I'd be able to pitch at him using my left hand," Haruichi doesn't know what's more tragic— her smile or the fact that her upperclassman's graduating in less than a year.

"By the way... on Tuesday,"

* * *

"Hey! Chris is playing for the second string team right now!"

"What?"

"Are you serious!?" Isashiki looked the most baffled out of all the regular members. Ryousuke, Tanba, Masuko and the captain also looked shocked at the sudden announcement. "Oi, is his shoulder okay!? What if he gets injured again? Sawamura's already in the hospital, dammit!" all that was left was for him to actually grab his hair— the whole situation itself was too stressing and problematic, heck it was too worrisome. What's up with everything that's happening this week!?

"That's the thing! Sawamura is also on the field right now!"

Unconsciously, Furuya drops his bat on the ground, "Ehh?" It is as if someone had just gave him their big declaration of love, their grand speech obviously thoroughly planned and rehearsed in front of a mirror for a dozen times before getting confessed to in front of the whole school on stage… except he doesn't blush because Furuya never blush. "Wha—" seriously, he doesn't need his whole life to be some part of a shoujo manga. What's next? The main character runs after the love of his life?

"Seriously!?" by then the vice-captain was just about ready to faint.

"Keh, where's Miyuki?" Kuramochi who happened to be looking around noticed that the catcher was nowhere to be found.

"He already went ahead of us,"

Furuya's eyes narrowed.

"Holy shit, what was that play!?"

"The right fielder covered the first base!? That's a pretty gutsy play!"

"That second base player is pretty good too," one of the opposing team's members, Kokushikan's batter, twitched and cursed under his breath. He stared irritated at the younger Kominato who was talking with the female pitcher from afar— well, it's mostly just Eirin going 'Harucchi, nice job! And 'Keep it up!'. Chris-senpai also looks tired because he pinches the bridge of his nose before telling his protégé to get back in position— and she obeys him obviously because it's Chris-senpai and Chris-senpai is… let's just say that Eirin has this overflowing admiration for her mentor per usual. "Shit, why did she pitch right at the center? Ugh, that one play changed the whole game," by then, Kokushikan was already in complete utter chaos at the sudden change of pace. Seido looked rather calm despite their opponent's lead on the score board.

The coach twitched, "Hey you guys! It's still our game! Ignore any balls, just aim for easy pitches!"

" _Yeah, that pitcher throws all over the place it might get away from the catcher too. Any chance I can get, I'll get back to the home plate,"_ when the batter got on position, the first baseman scooted forwards— Chris' eyebrows slightly knitted together. _"Her pitches are going to be easy as pie. It's the catcher were worried about,"_ all throughout the game, the female pitcher had been throwing fastballs all the way— guessing where was the most difficult part so far.

"Is that… is that… Chris made that shift, planning on all that?" the assistant coach seemed to be thoroughly amazed and worried at the same time. Kataoka who had been sitting on the bench, observing the whole time just kept a stoic expression on his face. "But… I mean, we were lucky enough to get an out but imagine what would've happened if it got through!" Seido would be in deeper trouble than they were earlier. It was a pretty risky move— even the audience cheered, impressed that they managed to pull it off.

"With a provocative forward defense, he made the offence nervous. He then made a strong impression using a pitch with limited vision," Kataoka explained, completely understanding the play analytically. Of course, it was a shame that the batter missed a fastball right unto the center. "Second and third plots to the side and the outfielders responded to the shift. This play was not based on luck at all," Chris was not the team's regular catcher last year for nothing.

 _Bam!_

"Whoa!"

"A super-fast pick off for a runner who was trying to lead off to the home plate! The runner couldn't get back!" the members of both teams were shocked by the time everything had ended. By then, Chris was already heading back to the catcher's box. "He broke through the loaded bases with no outs! Everything changed the minute that catcher came on!" the crowd cheered and even Rei— Seido's assistant coach haven't expected this to happen.

"Awesome! That was awesome! Chris-senpai, you can totally throw!" Eirin who was standing on the pitcher's mound bounced up and down with a smile on her face. "I didn't even have to do anything!" somehow it made her happy to see her mentor playing again. "Chris-senpai, you're the best!" the said senpai who was a couple of meters away from her gave her a small smile. Eirin gasped before smiling wider. Haruichi stared at the scene. Did that guy really injure his shoulder? He seemed like in perfect shape.

" _Well, Ei-chan's injured and she also seems to be fine,"_ the younger Kominato looked back and forth from the two. Eirin was as cheerful and brash as ever. Chris looked the same as always— a bit emotionless but there was that hint of determination in his eyes which made him stand out a bit more. _"Is this a play by someone who was out for a year? Being out of the game meant nothing to him!"_ Haruichi shook his head before following the others.

"Good stuff as usual, Chris-senpai," when Eirin and Chris exited the mound for substitution, they didn't expect Miyuki out of all people to greet them first. "Hahaha! There sure is a big difference between what you've gained during practice and a real game. Learn lots, Sawamura!" when Miyuki shot her that grin, Eirin twitched. It wasn't that she hated him or anything. If you look at it closely, he was right! She had a lot of things to learn before mastering the art of high school baseball.

"I am listening to everything that Chris-senpai says, Miyuki- _senpai_ ," Miyuki laughed when she emphasized on her honorific. "Where's _Satoru_ and the others?" she had at least expected them to come running to see Chris play— and emphasis on Furuya's name because he made it on the first string before her. "Oh, here they come," when she saw the group running towards their direction, Eirin laughed. The regulars were panting and sweating— so they did want to see Chris play.

"Oi, you just got discharged! What do you think you're doing!? And aren't you also injured, Chris!?" Isashiki was not a big fan of this battery. Both are smart — but injured. Both are talented — but injured. Both have so much to learn from each other — but they're _freaking_ injured. "What if you two get injured again!? Sawamura this is your second time getting injured this month, you idiot!" he karate chops her on the top of her head not to lightly.

"Ow!" Eirin groans and covers the top of her head. "Spitz-senpai, I'm fine! It's my left arm that's injured! Not my right!" her defense is lousy and pathetic but it makes sense. "I'm not going to get injured," she tried to assure them but they— especially Satoru doesn't seem so sure. "And I can totally pitch just fine!" she gave them a thumbs up which didn't really seem to put them at ease.

"I don't know about that,"

"Chris-senpai!"

* * *

"Good! Two outs," Eirin grinned when Haruichi managed to catch the ball. _"Now we just have to keep this up,"_ the female pitcher laughed when one of the members scolded her in order to keep her mind in the game— seems like they know how much she gets distracted. "Good job, Harucchi," she waved to her friend who was rather far away from her. The younger Kominato waved back— he noticed that her pitches were gradually improving. There were fewer solid hits now.

"Oh my God, that girl's the starting pitcher? What's more is that she's using the moving ball which is rarely seen in Japan. Pretty good for a lady," there was a hint of mockery in his voice which gradually turned into a fair bit of awe. If Chris wanted to catch her pitches then she must be pretty amazing. One by one as he spoke, heads turned to his direction and various eyes widened in shock.

"Wha— that's animal!"

"Animal, the performer!?"

"The comedian who's not good at Japanese!? Why is he here!?"

"I mean… he's huge!"

Animal slightly twitched before turning his attention, "Who…Who is the comedian!? Me is a baseball player! Okay?" he was trying to get away from the guy who was trying to take his autograph. He came to watch his son play! Not this… this… this madness! Startled, he turned his head to the fence to see Chris looking at his direction. "Yuu! Why are you playing!? I already had a bad feeling about this. This school is really trying to ruin my son!" Eirin stared back and forth from the two then blinked when she saw Chris showing a small smile. "Oi, Yuu!" since the catcher was just staring at him, not replying, he wondered if he even heard him.

"The match is just beginning. Let's destroy them!" when Chris started to cheer and try to motivate the others, most of them were in awe. His father looked shocked while Eirin had stars in her eyes.

"Hahaha! So Chris-senpai can also shout so loudly. Ahh, but your voice kind of broke a little," his apprentice teased.

"Shut up, your job is just to pitch the ball into the mitt,"

"Hai, hai," Eirin smiled and walked beside Chris who was leading them to the mound.

"Stop joking around," Kokushikan's batter muttered under his breath, gripping the bat he was holding rather tightly. _"How could we have missed out on the chance to score in the last two innings!? I'll hit this crappy pitcher out of the mound in no time!"_ the smile on Eirin's face only pissed him off when he saw her start off her wind up. _"What's up with that look!?"_ the batter gritted his teeth— he had swung too late.

 _Clang!_

"Oi! Is Chris going after that ball!?" the regular members were on edge, completely nervous when the catcher started to run after the ball. "What about his injury!?" Tanba asked with a rather loud voice with Miyuki beside him gripping on the fence rather tightly. _"What is he doing!?"_ the thought of him getting injured again hunted their minds. Last year was bad enough already.

"Dad, I broke my promise. I'm sorry," when he saw his son's back running after the ball, Animal's breath stopped midway in his throat. "The second string match, even though it's just a practice match… even though I don't get to play I wanted you to come," Eirin and Haruichi's eyes widened, "because for me," the ball was too high— it was heading to the fence, "this is my last official match." He stretched out his hand and dove for the ball.

 _Smash!_

"Chris-senpai!" Eirin shouted while most of Seido's members and audience stared with shocked expressions on their faces— Chris' father looked most horrified. "Are you okay!? Chris-senpai!?" before anyone was able to move, the female pitcher was already near Chris when they all saw him raise his mitt with the ball clearly in it. "Chris-senpai, are you fine!? How many fingers am I holding up?" she showed him his whole left hand which made him smile.

"He got it! He got it despite almost hitting the fence! Isn't he afraid of getting injured!?"

"Don't worry, I'm not as weak as you think," he got up from the ground and gave her the ball. She was pitching again and as her catcher, he was obliged to catch it no matter how hard. "Just focus on pitching. That throw just now was an easy one for the other team," somehow he seemed fine with how blunt he was, reminding her how much her control sucked.

Eirin sighed before grinning, "You scared me there for a moment, senpai."

"After one year off the field he's still so reckless," Isashiki said, crossing his arms. "What now? Sawamura's next?" Masuko elbowed him on the side— enough to make him groan out of pain because when it came to Eirin you weren't supposed to jinx anything, dammit!

" _He's still the same. Giving all he's got just to get a runner out. Leading the team to win,"_ Miyuki stared at the pair at the mound. _"Kinda similar to Sawamura,"_ he grinned when he saw Haruichi barging in and reminding Eirin to focus. "Well, she's still got a long way to go," his fingers loosened from the fence and he crossed his arms in a relaxed figure.

Eirin whose turn had just finished was in the bullpen with Haruichi— he came with her because she needed a bat. She was batting next and everyone knew what kind of tragedy that was, "I wanna get a point!" despite being a genius, perhaps that was the only thing she sucked at— batting, her control, her injury, her unlady-like manners, her brash nature… okay, maybe there was a lot.

"I want to transfer this burning passion to the bat," so far she could bat 90 km/hr, totally not normal because it was below the average bracket by _a lot_. She should've practiced with Raichi a bit more. "The desire to hit a home run… I'm passing it to you, my friend," Eirin stared at Haruichi seriously. The younger Kominato shook his head.

"I'm not hitting you a homerun, Ei-chan. You need to be the one who hits it for yourself,"

"Harucchi, you've seen me bat before,"

"Well… uhh… all you lack is technique and focus, Ei-chan. You can do it if you relax, I'm sure. If you get too tense you can't swing the bat right,"

" _Technique?"_

* * *

"Shit! Sawamura's batting next! Isashiki you bastard, you jinxed it!"

"Shut up! Don't distract her—"

 _Clang._

Kuramochi and Masuko who were roommates with the female pitcher had their mouths hanging open. Furuya and Miyuki looked just as shocked— wait, no, let me rephrase that… baffled, baffled would be the proper word. Eirin who was always an absolute disaster waiting to happen during practices. Eirin who probably sucked more than elementary students at batting just… just… did she just _bunt!?_ Even the coach looked startled… just a little bit.

"Wha—"

"Sawamura successfully bunted!?"

"I-It's actually well placed and the ball's slow enough!"

"Chris-senpai easily reached second!"

"S-She increased the chance without much trouble!

The crowd cheered and everyone was giving her compliments when she walked back her position. "Grr, I wanted to hit it like _bang!_ And get Chris-senpai back home," nobody knew why but Eirin had one specialty—bunting. "Harucchi, relax! If you get too tense you can't swing the bat right!" said Harucchi smiled at her before turning his attention back to the game.

"That's what I told you," Haruichi sighed when he got unto position. " _But now that the battery has given us this chance_ , who wouldn't want to live up to their expectations?" stretching his arms out while holding the bat, he found the grip he was the most comfortable with. _"I know that Ei-chan's not even getting started yet,"_ his friend's cheerful voice cheering him on from afar made him smile.

"In the past practice games he had a surprising batting average of 0.530. He was selected as the top batter pushing his experienced seniors aside," the male assistant coach said as if he was scanning a resume. "What kind of answer is he going to answer coach Kataoka's expectations?" his results itself well qualifies himself for going up to the first string. Then, how good of a clutch hitter is he? How can he take full advantage of this chance?

" _The entire outfield is drawn in closer so that they can throw to home easier,"_ Haruichi stared at the pitcher while he did his wind up. Drawing back his bat, he cleanly hit the pitch, _"Do they hit that I can't hit a long ball?"_ The runner and outfielders looked horrified along with the audience when the ball soared high.

"Foul!"

"T-The small guy took a full swing!?"

"H-He can hit a long ball!"

" _The inside high pitch was meant to force him away from the plate rather than a strike so that the first pitch wouldn't get hit yet he still got it that far,"_ the catcher groaned when he saw the calm, carefree expression on the Haruichi's face. _"That brat. What are we going to do? First is empty. Do we stick to slow balls even if we give them a base from the pitches? But… even if we do that, what comes next is the first, second and third batters, top of the batting order. Either way, it's still a clutch,"_ the catcher decided that gambling was the better choice. The outfielders looked at each other before moving back— thinking that they were too close.

 _Clang!_

"R-Right, throw to the plate!" the catcher stood up, his head turning at the outfielders who were rushing to get the ball. "You jerk! Why are you back there!?" by then the younger Kominato had already been running through bases.

" _What a scary guy,"_ you wouldn't think that Haruichi who always hung out with the Eirin who was loud and brash could actually do such thing until he stands on the batter box, _"protean bat control— that's exactly what we call natural endowments. His baseball sense might be even better than his big brother's."_ Chris knew that this year's batch was full of very talented players— especially those three. The regulars and assistant coaches were astonished. Of course, he was a Kominato, what'd you expect?

"Yeah! Third point! My bunt played a significant role after all,"

Eirin was bouncing up and down beside Chris who lightly scolded her for exaggerating. "Anyway, no time to congratulate yourself like that. Hurry up and get yourself in the bullpen. This will be the last inning of you and me as a battery. Give me the very best ball you've got," Eirin paused on her tracks and quietly stared at Chris' retreating back.

About to say something, Eirin opened her mouth, "Chris-senpai—"

"H-Hey, Yuu! Wait a minute!" the catcher turned his head to see his father on the other side of the fence. Eirin clenched her fists before turning a startled look at her mentor. _Of course…._ Yes, that's right. Only players can understand other player's feelings. Unfamiliar culture, unfamiliar environment… even Animal swung that bat single-mindedly until he retired— in order to prove his presence in this foreign country Japan.

"Father,"

"Hang in there, Yuu. Do your best,"

" _Ei-chan…" the image of a thirteen year old Takeshi holding her hand, his eyes filled with tears dawned upon her. She was lying on the ground with the coach and teachers tending to her while her teammates also stood by. Was that… Satoru? Why is Takeshi crying? "Just a little bit more," Eirin could feel his hand tremble against hers and by then, tears had already made tracks on his face. What was happening? Ohh yeah, she got hit by the ball and fell down. No wonder everything looked hazy. "…keep your eyes open just a little bit more," his hand's grip on hers tightened when he saw her eyes slightly close. "Please…" it was too bright and the light was hurting her eyes._

" _The teacher said that the ambulance is going soon," Furuya who was talking to the teachers told Takeshi who thanked him with a teary smile. "We can't move you because you're injured. The teachers said you were broken. I hit you with the ball," Eirin from the future would've cooed upon how cute small Furuya was if it wasn't for the fact that his eyes and hands were trembling in fear. "Please keep your eyes open by then… We'll get worried," thirteen year old Eirin nodded while the others ran around, trying to get help as soon as possible. Around her, it was only Furuya who kept calm._

" _Hang in there, Sawamura-san," a hand fell on her injured one, the person trying to be as gentle as much as possible. Eirin from the future would've laughed at how Furuya addressed her with such formality._

"Satoru," Eirin looked a bit shocked when she saw Furuya on the other side of the fence. By then, Chris had already walked ahead of her and his father was also gone. "Satoru?" she had no idea why but her eyes teared up when she saw him panting and heaving. Perhaps it was because she knew that he came running but nonetheless he also looked shocked. "What's up?" her eyes smiled along with her— cheeks slightly flushed from stopping the tears from actually flowing down.

"Nothing," Furuya stared at her face when she laughed at him.

"So you came running for nothing then?" she teasingly smiled at him and tilted her head to the side in question. Immediately, the pitcher wiped the sweat off his head with the sleeve of his compression shirt and flushed. "Chris-senpai's father talked to him earlier. Animal-san told him to do his best," Furuya listened from the other side. "Kind of reminds me of someone," she raised her eyebrows teasingly at him. The pitcher only stared at her before sighing.

"Come closer," Furuya motioned a hand for her to move forward. Eirin blinked, not knowing why but surely followed. Her childhood friend also walked forward until they were only separated by the fence. "You alright?" when she was close enough to him, Furuya leaned his head to the fence. "You look weird," Eirin laughed but looked like she was about to cry nonetheless. Her childhood friend stared at her laughing face.

"How so?"

"I can tell," she might be laughing but Furuya knows it not. "It's not your usual expression," to others Furuya might sound the same all the time but to her he sounds worried and anxious even. "Are you not feeling well?" of course he was still worried about her and if one thing starts to come in his mind, the first thing would be her injury. Eirin forces a shallow laugh before leaning in as he turns his head. Their temples and eyes meet before she lowers her gaze.

Eirin holds a few of his fingers through the gaps of the fence, "Like I said… you don't have to be worried. Stop blaming yourself, Satoru." They're not holding hands and their fingers are merely grazing through each other. When Eirin looks down and sniffles, Furuya hates the fence for separating them. He tries to be as close to her as much as possible but the barrier between them keeps him from doing so. The two are silent for a second and nothing could be heard except for the cheering of the crowd and Eirin's silent cries. For Furuya both are terrifying. He's scared of both— the expectation of winning and her crying.

He has a lot of things to be worried of.

"Don't make this a big deal, Satoru," he stares at her shoulder— he can't see her injury due to her uniform but he knows that it's there. It's his fault. "Please," Eirin whispers, eyes pleading.

"Sawamura!" when Chris arrived at the scene Eirin was already a meter away from the fence while Furuya was still in the same position. The upperclassman looked back and forth from the two before noticing the glare that Miyuki's student was sporting. Chris couldn't help but smile, "can I borrow her for a second, Furuya?" Eirin's cheeks turn into the prettiest shade of pink they've ever seen while Furuya sighs.

From the opposing team's dugout, Kokushikan's best batter was lying on his back with a cap covering his face, "tch, what are you doing? She's just a first year pitcher. How embarrassing. As things are now, we can't go to Koshien this summer again. As I thought, I joined the wrong school." As he sits up, the coach slowly turns to him with the most irritated expression one could probably muster.

"Z-Zaizen, you deliberately let me hear you say that!"

"You heard me?" the said 'Zaizen' gave a canine filled grin. "Here's my special advice to you. If you're thinking of that pitcher to screw up think of another plan. The one who makes that battery work is not her. If you want to aim at someone, aim at that catcher," he pointed unto Chris who was discussing the signals again with Eirin. "In junior high he was so much of a monster but he's in the second string of Seido now, hehehe," the members of Kokushikan turned their eyes to Chris. What was he talking about?

"He once had his shoulder broken. He's a wreck now,"

* * *

" _Wha— Bunting with two strikes!?"_ Eirin looked at the batter before hurriedly focusing back on Chris' mitt. _"Don't worry about it. Pitch like you're supposed to!"_ Halfway unto her windup she scolded herself. Chris was looking at her, telling her to focus. Eirin gritted her teeth and pitched.

 _Clang._

"Ah! He bunted it, what a waste!"

"What a waste,"

Eirin's eyes narrowed weirdly before turning her eyes to the opponent's dugout. Kokushikan looked rather calm. _"What's up with this?"_ all of a sudden she felt uneasy. _"Ehh?"_ her eyes widened when she saw Zaizen talking to his teammates while obviously looking at Chris. _"Chris-senpai?"_ the said mentor was talking to Kominato and the other outfielders while Eirin was still on her place— heart pounding against her chest rapidly for no particular reason. When the next batter came to position, she took a deep breath before she heard someone run behind her. Eirin twitched, _"so that was what they were aiming for."_ Hurriedly, she pitched towards Chris' mitt. _"What the hell!? A steal!?"_ the guy was already running on bases and Seido was in a pinch. The catcher caught the ball and threw it to the base but missed.

 _Bam!_

"Safe!" the umpire shouted—Eirin and the members of Seido looked very shocked just like the audience. Animal stared at his openly horrified son. _Chris?_

"What was that? Did he slip or something?"

"That catcher made a throwing error?"

"Kuh, kuh, kuh. Ku ha ha ha! What was that!? What happened to that laser beam throw to second base!? Just like I thought, he isn't totally healed yet!" Zaiden laughed from the dugout. "Run like hell! Run all over them!" his teammates looked at him before grinning at the catcher. An injury, ehh? Miyuki clenched his fists from behind the fence. There was no point in calling them out, it was fair and the play itself was proper. Chris on the other hand… Eirin would be lying if she said that she wasn't worried. Heck, she was nervous for her mentor's sake. Rather than winning the game, she just wanted him to stop for now.

"Chris-senpai,"

"Sawamura, don't worry I'm fine," Eirin gritted her teeth — the members of Seido also looked completely worried. "One out! Outfielders prepare to throw home! Infielders one out at a time! Sawamura, don't worry about the runner and focus on the batter!" the female pitcher looked startled but nodded nonetheless. Dammit, it was because she let him get off a good jump off her. Tch, that was not happening again so they better rejoice now while they can.

" _You can bunt as much as you want,"_ Eirin started off her windup. The batter flinched before unconsciously moving out of the way. What's up with her!? _"I'm only going to look at Chris-senpai's mitt from now on!"_ the batter stilled and moved his bat horizontally, bunting the pitch.

 _Clang._

"Leave it to me!" Eirin was about to go after the ball when Chris caught it first. Now, will he get the runner at third? Animal looked at the bases. There was no way he was going to make it. The throw was too late. Very late.

"Safe!"

 _Bam!_

"Whoa, safe at third on the fielder's choice! Now the runners at first and third are safe!"

"What's wrong with that catcher? His throws have gotten really poor all of a sudden,"

"Chris-senpai?" When Eirin rounds the corner she is ashen, lips almost blue in the crazy summer heat. Her limbs moved as if some inexperienced person is controlling them remotely and her eyes are wide, looking right at him, but not really. Chris… her mentor… Chris out of all people… Eirin snapped out of her daze when someone from the dugout came laughing, dragging his bat on the ground with him. The female pitcher unconsciously clenched her fists— her nails digging hard on her palm, probably sharp enough to leave marks.

"With just two and a half years of high school baseball. Who would've known that a full year off would make such a difference. You're just a shell of your former self," Chris stared in horror at the player walking towards him. "As your former rival in the senior leagues, it's my duty to perform the last rites for you," he said while grinning. Miyuki and the other regulars looked very anxious from the sidelines

"Zaizen…"

Eirin blinked, _"Zaizen?"_ If she remembered clearly, didn't she play against him during middle school at a practice match between Meto and Ojou? _"He's the one Takeshi mentioned,"_ blonde hair and brown eyes— he looked a bit different but it was him alright. _"If I remember clearly, he injured his knee,"_ she stared at the confident look on the pinch hitter's face. Eirin gritted her teeth. She's only been given three innings to play. Dammit, what was she doing!? She got her wish to be in a battery with Chris but… _"My mistakes are now causing the whole team trouble,"_ she doesn't have those crazy fastballs that Furuya has nor those incredible pitches that Tanba throws.

"One out, runners on the corners and to think that it was the catcher's, the one who pulled the team together, errors that made this situation,"

"Will the momentum fall to the opponent now?"

Eirin turned her head to Chris who shook his head at her, telling her not to worry. _"I still haven't given Chris-senpai anything,"_ she held the ball into a two-seamer before making her way to the mound again. _"Sawamura, you were Ojou's ace for a reason. You can do this,"_ Haruichi blinked when he saw the expression on her face. Furuya's eyes slightly narrowed. _"You've faced stronger players before. Zaizen is a piece of cake,"_ stretching her limbs, she turned her eyes on the former ace on front of her.

* * *

"Zaizen? Isn't that Naoyuki Zaizen!? In middle school I got the golden sombrero from him!"

"Yeah, I couldn't do anything either,"

"Are you serious!? What kind of beast is he to do that to the two of you!?" Kuramochi asked, looking astonished. Who would have thought that two of Seido's regulars have been through such from a single player— ohh well, everyone's been through all kinds of stuff at this point. "This is bad! Sawamura! Chris-senpai!" who even knows what would happen to that pair. In the state that Chris is in and how Eirin's pitching… no one could predict anything.

"I met you in the hospital once right? How has your shoulder been, since then?" Zaizen grinned darkly at Chris.

The catcher's eyes turned grim, _"So I was the one that was being targeted."_ One out, runners on the corners. How will the other team attack us now? Will they go for the jugular? Or will they play small ball? Or will they have the runner on first run and completely force me out of the game? _"Damn, I'm so pathetic. I knew that I'm not the same as I was once, but—"_ his thoughts were cut off when someone called him from afar.

"Chris-senpai," people other than Chris also turned their attention on the girl standing on the mound. "Let's focus on the batter, nee?" there is was —Eirin's signature grin which seemed to snap him out his daze. "I'm going to pitch to contact so everyone please be ready— ow!" she turned her head to the outfielders cheerfully before getting karate chopped on the head.

"You're doing that again,"

"Yeah, it's not like you have any other options,"

"Haha, sorry? Maezono-kun, Harucchi,"

"Hahaha, you're quite funny you know, kid? Bring it on!" Zaizen challenged the girl— was anything really even appropriate at this point? Eirin of course, tried to speak up but was held back by Haruichi. She was really good with insults and verbal fights. Like… like… like really good. "You look very familiar you know! You look like that girl from Ojou— ehh…" despite the sudden silence in the field, you could hear the regulars' roaring laughter from the outer fence. "Sawamura?" he pointed at her and Eirin pointed at herself while nodding. "The one in a battery with Yamato? Yamato Takeshi?" she nodded again.

"Anyway… I'm gonna make you cry!"

"Wha— before I leave this batter's box, you'll be the one crying!"

Chris showed a small smile when Eirin got into a sudden fight with the batter. Haruichi was nearly bursting into panic mode just to make sure that their pitcher doesn't jump on their opponent all of a sudden. _"I can't believe it. She's even calmer in this situation than I am,"_ Eirin was finally resorting to throwing childish insults to Zaizen like 'blondie'— it surprisingly kind of worked though. "You should be careful with her Zaizen. Her pitches are not that easy to hit," the catcher said making the batter obviously irritated.

"I know that! _She from Ojou for kami's sake,_ " Zaizen gritted his teeth, clearly irritated before finding his position. _"Dammit, why is she here in Seido out of all places? And second string? Something's clearly wrong with their ranking order here, oi!"_ He couldn't stand it. That kid with the twinkle in her eye and that catcher who put his trust in his little freshman. What's up with this battery? It's freaking him out. _"I'll show 'em and hit her pitch far,"_ his grip on the bat turned tight.

"And what do you mean by focus on the batter!?"

"It means no whining when you get hit!" Zaizen slightly twitched while Miyuki from afar struggled not to laugh. Seido doesn't even look bothered anymore.

" _Of course,"_ Eirin grinned under her cap before starting her wind up. _"Chris-senpai will catch anything I throw at him,"_ her left leg raised and all of her weight shifted unto it when it reached the ground. The pitcher's right hand whipped out behind her shoulder all of a sudden and the ball appeared in Zaizen's vision, spinning for a split second before disappearing unto Chris' mitt.

 _Bam!_

Chris couldn't help but slightly knit his eyebrows. His mitt was smoking and his hand hurt not because of his injury but because of the force from the throw itself. Seido, Kokushikan and the audience looked dumbfounded. They stared as if she'd just produced a rhinoceros from her pocket. She could just imagine the sparks in their brain, desperately trying to connect the dots and instead just causing a short circuit. They looked like pop-eyed toys from one of those claw machines at the fun fair. Perfectly funny. The regular second year catcher shook his head. He had seen and caught her crossfire before so why is he still staring, _dammit_. That pitch, perhaps even Furuya wouldn't be able to manage to master that technique.

"S-Strike,"

Eirin grinned, golden eyes still bright and shining from adrenaline.

* * *

 **[05:32 P.M, April 28, 2016] [SANADA SHUNPEI]  
** -That's great! Congratulations for winning against Kokushikan, Ei-chan! I really wanted to see you play, maybe next time though. You might get promoted with Chris-senpai to the first string, I'm crossing my fingers. Do your best! Ohh, and is that guy still following you? What's his name anyway? He sounds so creepy and I hope he stops. Always be careful okay? And look after yourself. If that guy is still there just tell me and we'll go undercover on him, hahaha.

"Sawamura, who are you texting during dinner? Eat your food before it turns cold!" Isashiki pointed unto Eirin's plate which was barely finished. Furuya and Haruichi stared at their friend while Kuramochi struggled to keep a straight face— he knew exactly who it was. Eirin noticed the look on her roommate's face before glaring at him. "You're wasting the food!" the female pitcher immediately typed and sent her reply before nodding and digging in her bowl again.

 **[05:33 P.M, April 27, 2016] [to SANADA SHUNPEI]**  
-I haven't seen him earlier. He wasn't even at the game earlier. Hopefully he stopped or I'm totally going to slap him. Only two people get promoted to the first string. I'm sure that Haruichi would get promoted so… hmm… hopefully it's me or Chris-senpai. I'd be happier if it is him though. Or it could be the three of us, who knows. I really want to form a battery with him. Hopefully, there's still a chance. And like I said, I'll be fine! The great Sawamura Eirin never catches a cold, hahaha.

"Who was that? Your boyfriend?" Miyuki's initial thought was to tease her but when she coughed and choked on her food, his eyes widened. "Wha— Seriously!? You're not joking?" he would've commented unto how unlady-like she acted but he was more concerned about the shade of pink that dusted her cheeks. The other regulars stared, looking a bit astonished while Haruichi hurriedly tried to give her a glass of water. "Sawamura's got a boyfriend? This time for real? Or is it the same guy from Yakushi that Kuramochi was talking about?" Kuramochi scoffed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Sawamura-chan's popular and nice," Masuko downed his fourth cup of pudding since he had finished dinner way ahead of others. "She's also very pretty, uga. It's not that surprising to hear that she has a boyfriend," Furuya and Miyuki stared again. Their heads have been too occupied by baseball that they forgot everyone had their own lives to live. This wasn't some sort of shoujo manga. Get your act together please! And Masuko made sense anyway. Despite her flaws—cough—many— flaws, Eirin was smart, athletic, nice and not to mention drop dead gorgeous. Have you seen her height? She was fairly taller than most of the female students in school and Nagano girls tend to look more exotic than those from Tokyo. Long brown hair, cat-like golden eyes and rosy lips— uwaaa. Damn, if only she was more feminine.

"Does… Chris-senpai know?" Furuya asked hesitantly, he couldn't think or any other excuse.

"No! Dammit! We're not dating or anything! Were just friends! Friends talk to each other right?" Eirin wiped her mouth with her arm making Haruichi somehow flinch because _Ei-chan please be more mindful and careful._ "Stop getting the wrong idea! I'm totally focused on baseball right now," when she also drank the younger Kominato's glass, everyone stared. Well, was there even anyone who could stand the way she is? The baseball club could but who else would? Kuramochi could think of some but…

"What about that omiai you went to then,"

Eirin coughed, "W-Wha—"

"Yeah! You were meeting up some unknown guy!"

"Ei-chan," the female pitcher's heart got struck when Haruichi turned to her with a frown on his face. "You don't tell us anything about yourself," it was kind of unfair since she knew all of their birthdays and they've only been together since March. It was the last week of April and they still barely knew her— Furuya might know more since he's known her earlier than them. "And you're being secretive by texting. What if it's a rival in baseball?" Kuramochi and Eirin flinched, a bit scared— that was… that was some scary intuition.

"A-Anyway, it's not that important! We have class to go tomorrow—"

"You're not going to class. Your grandfather wrote in a letter to the teachers with a doctor's permit from various physicians— I don't even know how your grandfather does that, he asked them to let you take a couple of days off after getting discharged just to make sure that you get your energy back. You have two days to heal up. Even the coach said so,"

"W-Wha—"

"You played in a match after an hour of getting discharged. Rest,"

"But—"

"Just stay in your room or run around do something then. You're not allowed to touch a ball for two days. After that it's hell so be prepared,"

Eirin sighed. She should've known that her grandfather was going to do this. From afar, she could already hear her ancestors laugh at her foolishness. Dammit, she should've just injured it and fainted at their room in the first place. Kuramochi and Masuko would just leave her alone thinking that she was asleep and her ban wouldn't be extended like this. Well, she also got to form a battery with Chris earlier so it's all worth it anyway.

 _Blip. Blip. Buzz._

" _Mei?"_

 **[05:42 P.M, April 27, 2016] [NARUMIYA MEI]  
\- Hime-sama! I heard from mom that you are free the next two days— she was the one who made the permit. The third years in my school are also taking their exams during that time so we first and second years don't have class. I know that you're going to be bored with no one to talk to while your friends are in class so I wanted to ask if you wanted to hang out. Or you could just talk to my mom… so you'd be healthy again…**

Okay so Mei might beat Haruichi when it comes to intuition. His luck was just amazing and the fact that his mother was close to Eirin's grandfather? Hah, he's just like a shoujo manga hero. Eirin's eyes lit up at the message, his excuses were way too funny.

 **[05:43 P.M, April 27, 2016] [to NARUMIYA MEI]  
-Ohh, well, sure, I'm free anyway. Help me practice my batting skills tomorrow, will you? I played in a game earlier and I flopped. I have lots of things to tell you and we only saw each other like… last week? We played against Kokushikan today. **

_Blip. Blip. Buzz._

Eirin flinched because it wasn't even a minute and she already got a reply.

 **[05:43 P.M, April 27, 2016] [NARUMIYA MEI]  
-Hime-sama, of course I would help you! Please tell me that you would stay over. Mom's kind of worried because you played in a game. Said that you need a check-up. It sounds like an excuse but it's not. She's actually dying right now. She's never like this with me.**

The female pitcher grinned.

 **[05:44 P.M, April 27, 2016] [to NARUMIYA MEI]  
-Tell her that I'll make sure to bring clothes this time around, okay? Hahaha.**

Eirin turned her phone's screen off before looking at Furuya who was staring at her all this time.

"What?"

* * *

 **Hi, guys! Eirin will know what happened to her stalker in the next chapter so expect some platonic!KuraSawa to occur. There's some sort of FuruSawa action in this chapter but it's not that much. You guys can decide if you see it as something romantic or platonic. Honestly speaking though, I'm not that good with MiyuSawa and I don't know what scenarios to do with them. If you have any suggestions or scenarios you might want to see please do not hesitate to tell me because I'll try, I'll really try to incorporate it in the story. I better do that much since I update so slow.**

 **And anyway, polls are still open so please vote for who you want Eirin to end up with. For now the pairings would be all over the block so that you'd get to choose who you really want. Please tell me who you want her heart to beat for! I'm sorry if the pairing is still undecided, lots of people want Miyuki but Mei is not running low either. And if you're confused or if you want to ask questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I try to answer them on the A/N above. For now that's all. Please accept this extra-long chapter as my apology for not updating in three months.**

 **Ciao~!**


End file.
